Falling Off the Merry-Go-Round

PIRA: 1D55.30

Overview:

When you place a ball at the center of a turntable, you will notice an interesting phenomenon with two competing rotations. As the table is spinning, the ball will spin as well due to friction. The ball will start to move outward, but then the rotational momentum of the ball will counteract this outwards movement as it also changes the direction of spin that the ball has from the table. This will make the ball move in circles as all the forces acting on the ball enter a chaotic dance until it falls off.

Materials:

Merry-go-round, mouse balls, variable DC power supply, two cables

Setup:

Plug in the two cables into the variable DC power supply, then plug them into the table. Plug in the power supply to the wall. Place the balls near the table where they won’t roll away/

How to:

Turn on the power supply and select your speed. Do not exceed 12V. Place a ball onto the table and watch what happens. Experiment with different speeds.

Safety:

Do not exceed 12V on the power supply. Do not short the power supply.