Newton's Antics

A fun way to learn about Newton's Laws of Force and Motion

Get ready to perform a few impossible feats of science magic, thanks to that master science magician, Sir Isaac Newton. Newton's Laws of Force and Motion are integral to physics, but can be complicated at times. Newton's Antics is an activity designed to make the science of physics as fun as possible. In this activity you can use Newton's Laws of Physics to be the hit of any party... really, we mean it!

Materials

Old playing card or index card
Hex nuts (1/4" work well)
Narrow mouthed cup or bottle
Roll of masking tape (used as the ring or hoop)
Empty soda bottle

Experiment
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Place the card on top of the bottle and place the hex nut on top of the card.
Challenge your friends to find a way to get the hex nut into the bottle without lifting the card. Part of the fun of this experiment is to watch your friends try to figure out how to get the hex nut into the bottle without lifting the card. Give them time to test out all of their suggestions.
When your friends have finally exhausted all of their ideas, flick the card with your forefinger so that the card slides out from underneath the hex nut. Watch the expression on your friends' faces as the hex nut drops into the bottle.

The Falling Hex Nut

Balance the ring on the mouth of the empty bottle. Then place the nut on top of the ring so it rests directly over the bottle opening. Check out the photos.
There's a way to hit the ring so the nut can drop through the mouth of the bottle and fall to the bottom, though it may seem impossible.
Consider other possibilities and think of ways you can hit the ring to move it to the side and let the nut drop straight down. Remember that the plastic flexes when you hit it.
Of course, the solution is written below, but see if you can get gravity to work for you before you read on.

How does it work?

You won't get this to work if you hit the ring on the outside. The best way to get the nut to drop is to hit the ring from the inside, as shown. It may take a bit of practice to get the nut to drop into the bottle, but once you get it, you'll love the sound.

There's a law of motion

By hitting the ring on the outside, you cause it to flex upward and push up on the nut, moving the nut away from the bottle opening. When you hit the ring from the inside out, the ring flexes downward, drops out from under the nut, and zips sideways. The nut loses its support but, because it's not moving, it doesn't do anything for a few nanoseconds. Then gravity takes over and the nut starts moving straight down into the bottle. By the way, once it's moving, it doesn't want to stop unless something (like the bottle, your hand, the floor, or the ground) gets in the way and makes it stop. Science is so e-motion-al!