Posted Feb. 22, 2023

Have you ever driven a car around a corner a little too fast? Everybody slid to the side in their seats and you almost lost control of the car. That’s centrifugal force. Spin something on the end of a string – yep, same thing. It’s a basic physics concept and is happening everywhere something is spinning.

Years ago most playgrounds had a merry-go-round. It was about 8 feet in diameter and close to the ground with some rails along the sides. You could sit or stand.

Everybody would climb on and someone would start spinning the disk. As the speed increased, your body tried to slide off the edge. Some actually tumbled off on the ground and everybody was laughing. Centrifugal force is a powerful force to feel.

Now let’s throw in a second dynamic. Instead of a solid pivot point, raise the pivot point up in the air and allow the whole wheel to randomly tilt also. It sounds simple, but the dynamics are surprising. When you go up the hill and down the other side, you’re moving quite fast. But at the bottom you almost stop. How can you be both moving and not moving? You’ll have to try it to feel the sensation. Of course, if you put a dozen kids on it at the same time and give it a strong push both around and down, there are instant squeals of delight.

It’s all about the physics, but don’t try to explain it to a kid. It will take the fun out. Eventually they will be sitting in a physics class, learning about centrifugal force and remembering that wobbly merry-go-round.

Testing our balancing skills.... “Look Mom!”

This is the beauty of Discovery Park. There are challenges everywhere that test your skills, engage your mind and brings joy. In a world of stress, we are the de-stresser!