Hooked on Science: Feather balance

How long can a feather be balanced in the palm of your hand?

Materials

• Feather

Instructions

STEP 1: Place the quill of the feather in the palm of your hand and attempt to balance the feather.

Explanation

You were able to balance the feature, with the quill in the palm of your hand, because of center of gravity or center of mass. The center of gravity or center of mass is the average location of the weight of an object. The weight of the feather is evenly dispersed and all sides are balanced.

Jason Lindsey is a science outreach educator with Hooked on Science. Check out his website hookedonscience.org for webcasts and experiments.