Show i New Balancing Trick This Is one of the neatest and most curious of balancing tricks Cut the tops of two long corks Into wedge shape insert the corks firmly in the necks of two bottles of equal height and place the bottles on the table about ten inches apart with the edges of the corks parallel to each other Now try to balance a table knife on one of the sharpened corks It If U you succeed reject that knife and try one with a heavier handle for we v l must have two knives that will not balance unaided Having found two such knives hold them level on the 2 corks with their points almost in contact contact contact con con- tact moving the bottles if necessary and set on n their points a small thin wine glass or tumbler containing just enough w water ter to make the whole affair af- af t. t fair balance when when you f take your hands off It i t r This This is a gOO good deal deal kasier asier t tp tb say sayto an to do do but Itcan it If can be be done though it may take more than than one one pair of hands to dp at it at least at at first So far you you have accomplished a striking an and l ticklish balancing feat and that is all Now attach a bullet coin or any small heavy object to a thread and carefully lower it into the water In the little glass As soon as the coin touches the water the glass begins to go down the knives turning like the corks and see saws on lower Ver goes the glass so that if the coin is large you will have a smash before 4 it is half under water But you can pull it up at any Instant As you do doso doso doso so the glass follows as if it were glued to the coin and so you can keep it see-sawing see up and down Perhaps the reason of this Is not clear to you The coin is held up by the thread land and does not touch the h 4 I r J I V 4 I How the Balance Is Made I glass so how can it affect it Well the coin is not held up by the thread alone The part that is under water I is s held partly by the thread and partly partly partly part part- ly by the water which buoys It up ty with a force equal to the weight of an equal bulk of water The coin there presses the water and consequently S 7 r u l e the glass downwards with an e equal lual force Now when you pull out the coin this extra weight Is taken off ott so the glass rises to its original position You might make the glass bob up and down by pressing It with your finger finger finger fin fin- ger but It would be a ticklish experiment experiment ment while with the suspended coin you can move the glass so very delicately delicately deli deli- cately and safely that you can even make It dance In time to a waltz or polka played rather slowly on the piano So it makes a very pretty little trick especially if you substitute substitute substitute tute for the coin win a tiny human figure or doll |