Why a Light Weight Can Lift a Heavy One
A friendly beginner guide to why a see-saw balances, how torque works, and why a light weight far out can lift a heavy one close in.
Subject · 8 posts
physics
Bounce Box and the Great Ball Swap
A friendly look at Bounce Box, the tiny game where balls bounce off walls and trade their push in a neat elastic collision.
How a Cannonball Learns to Fly
A gentle beginner guide to the cannon game, showing how angle, power, and gravity bend a ball into a smooth curve to hit a target.
When a Little Cart Bounces Back
Crash two carts of different weights and see why momentum, which is weight times speed, stays the same before and after every head-on hit.
How Planets Loop the Star Without Falling In
A friendly beginner guide to how a planet stays in orbit by falling toward a star while moving sideways fast enough to keep missing it.
The Steady Beat of a Bouncing Spring
Pull a block on a spring, let go, and watch it bounce at a steady rhythm set by stiffness and mass, a simple idea found everywhere in nature.
The Simple Rule Behind Every Swing
Longer swings swing slower no matter the weight, the simple pendulum rule that Galileo spotted and old clocks used to keep good time.
Why a Steeper Ramp Makes the Ball Go Faster
Change the slope of a ramp, drop a ball, and discover why steeper ramps give a bigger pull and a faster roll.