DABCEAFB-B474-4629-A71D-74F70ACFB64D

The Freaky Physics of Falling Slinkies, in Super Slow Motion!

If the title wasn’t enough to lure you in, then man, I don’t know what would.

Some crazy scientists have decided to break up their days of curing cancer and making bionic eyes (true, I heard it on the radio today) to show us common folk that there is a bunch of really cool physics behind the fall of the simple slinky.

In the video, physicist Rod Cross explains that the tension of the spring counters the pull of gravity (“equal and opposite forces”), holding the bottom end of the Slinky in place until it “gets the information that the tension has changed.” By the time the bottom end of the Slinky gets the memo, the top end has fallen to meet it.

Errrmmm… sure. Hey look! A slinky in slow motion! Cool!

http://www.theatlantic.com/video/archive/2012/08/the-freaky-physics-of-falling-slinkies/261621/

Leave a Comment