centrifugal force

Through this exhibit, people can understand that objects in circular motion, due to their own inertia, always fly along the tangent direction of the circle. When the external force suddenly disappears or is insufficient to provide the centripetal force required for circular motion, they will gradually move away from the center of the circle. This phenomenon is called centrifugal phenomenon.

Interaction type: Electromechanical, hands-on. The unit is designed for unsupervised public use: controls are recessed or shielded, moving parts are enclosed, and the interface is operable by a child of about six with no instruction. Where a screen is used, the language can be switched without changing the hardware, and the content can be replaced on site.

Installed inside the guardrail, the lower part is filled with blue liquid in a transparent container, and the upper part is equipped with a rotatable disc with two inclined tubes. The tubes of the upper rotating disc extend from the disc at a 45 degree angle, and each is filled with silicone oil and colored balls. However, although one ball is a hollow plastic ball floating on top of the liquid, the other ball is solid and therefore located on the ground of the tube. By using a crank, visitors can control the rotational speed of the disk. They will learn that at a certain rotational speed, centrifugal force will exchange the position of the ball and the liquid in the tube: the solid ball will be pushed outward, thus being pushed to the top of the tube, while the liquid in another tube will push the hollow ball to the bottom. The transparent container at the bottom is filled with blue liquid, which forms a water parabolic shape during rotation.