1F20.30 - Inertia of Rest - Glass of Water

Code Number:
1F20.30
Demo Title:
Inertia of Rest - Glass of Water
Condition:
Good
Principle:
Inertia of Mass
Area of Study:
Mechanics

Disclaimer

Equipment:
Beaker filled with water, Black table cloth.
Procedure:

Place the table cloth flat on the table so that one edge of the cloth hangs over the table edge about 1 foot.  Place the beaker of water in the middle of the cloth.  Make sure that there are no folds or wrinkles in the cloth behind the beaker.  Yank the table cloth out and down very quickly.

References:
  • Uri Haber-Schaim and John H. Dodge, "There's More To It Than Friction", TPT, Vol. 29, #1, Jan. 1991, p. 56.
  • D. Rae Carpenter, Jr., "The 'New' Coke Demo", TPT, Vol. 23, #9, Dec. 1985, p. 560.
  • H. T. Hudson, "There's More To It Than Inertia", TPT, Vol. 23, #3, Mar. 1985, p. 163.
  • Joseph Perez, "The Tablecloth Pull", TPT, Vol. 15, #4. Apr. 1977, p. 242.
  • Evan Jones, "The Tablecloth Pull", TPT, Vol. 15, #7, Oct. 1977, p. 389.
  • M- 222, "Coke Bottles & Dollar Bill", DICK and RAE Physics Demo Notebook.
  • M- 524, "Dishes and Table Cloth", DICK and RAE Physics Demo Notebook.
  • Jearl Walker, "1.164, Pulling a Tablecloth Beneath Dishes", The Flying Circus of Physics Ed. 2, p. 75.
  • Julien Clinton Sprott, Physics Demonstrations, "1.6, Beaker and Tablecloth", p. 16, ISBN 0-299-21580-6.
  • Bill Franklin, "The Tablecloth Trick", Teaching About Impulse and Momentum, p. 4.2.
  • Borislaw Bilash II, David Maiullo, "Newton's Jerk", A Demo a Day: A Year of Physics Demonstrations, p. 73.
  • Borislaw Bilash II, David Maiullo, "Newton, 'The Magician'- His First Law", A Demo a Day: A Year of Physics Demonstrations, p. 54.
  • Janice VanCleave, "80. Zip!", Teaching the Fun of Physics, p. 121.
  • 177, "Snap", Janice VanCleave's 201 Awesome, Magical, Bizarre, & Incredible Experiments.
  • Scotty Ellerbee, "More Inertia", PIRA Newsletter, Vol. 3, # 17, 1/25/90.
  • "Coke Bottle Inertia", Physics From the Junk Drawer, 3rd Edition, The Science House, North Carolina State University, p. 12.
  • Curt Suplee, "Newton I: Inertia", Everyday Science Explained, National Geographic, p. 16.
  • Borislaw Bilash II, “Newton the Magician - His First Law“, A Demo A Day – A Year of Physical Science Demonstrations, p. 226.

Disclaimer: These demonstrations are provided only for illustrative use by persons affiliated with The University of Iowa and only under the direction of a trained instructor or physicist.  The University of Iowa is not responsible for demonstrations performed by those using their own equipment or who choose to use this reference material for their own purpose.  The demonstrations included here are within the public domain and can be found in materials contained in libraries, bookstores, and through electronic sources.  Performing all or any portion of any of these demonstrations, with or without revisions not depicted here entails inherent risks.  These risks include, without limitation, bodily injury (and possibly death), including risks to health that may be temporary or permanent and that may exacerbate a pre-existing medical condition; and property loss or damage.  Anyone performing any part of these demonstrations, even with revisions, knowingly and voluntarily assumes all risks associated with them.