Lifting a chair

Lifting a chair seem easy, right? Well as this experiment proves, it depends on if you are a girl or a guy.

Materials

* Chair

• Wall
• Girl
• Guy

Instructions

STEP 1: Place the chair sideways against the wall.

STEP 2: Stand next to the chair, but make sure your feet are not under the chair.

STEP 3: Bend over at the waist and place your head against the wall. Make sure your back is flat.

STEP 4: Using your hands lift the chair and then attempt to stand upright.

Explanation

Girls will be able to accomplish this task while guys will not. The reason: A guy's center of mass is higher in his body. While bent over attempting to lift the chair, the girl's center of mass is over her feet. When she attempts to stand up she can without any problems. When the guy is bent over attempting to lift the chair his center of mass is over the chair. When he attempts to stand up he falls.

Jason Lindsey is a Science Outreach Educator with Hooked on Science. Check out his website "Hooked On Science" at hookedonscience.org for webcasts and experiments that might get you hooked on science. Send him your science questions at jlindsey@hookedonscience.org. More science experiments can be found at www.semissourian.com.