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Home » Science Magic: Inertia

Science Magic: Inertia

By Janice VanCleave

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Inertia is a physical property used to describe how difficult it is to move a stationary object. The greater the inertia the harder it is to move the object. Inertia increases with mass.table-setting

A magician’s trick of pulling a table cloth out from under a table setting and leaving the dishes standing is not a trick. Instead, like many tricks there is a science explanation. In this due to the inertia of the dishes as well as other things, including how fast the cloth is pulled as well as how the friction between the cloth and the dishes. You can do a simplified version of this trick. For instructions, see Using Inertia

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Filed Under: Physics

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