Today on Wednesday March 5, 2010,I took two identical clear-glass jars and raced them down a binder to see which one went down the fastest, with one of the jars filled with water.
(Picture taken by Angelica Choi)
- leave one empty, and fill one with water.
- Put the lids on both jars and tighten.
- Place a large, three-ring binder on a level floor
- start the jars from the top of the "ramp" the binder forms.
- Release them and watch what happens.
Which one gets to the bottom of the ramp first? Which one rolls the farthest?
Science:
At first, the water-filled jar moves down the ramp faster than the empty one. This happens because its weight is evenly distributed throughout its volume, thanks to the water inside it. The empty jar's weight is all in the glass outside so it doesn't roll quite as fast. But as the jars begin rolling on the flat surface, the greater weight of the full jar causes friction between the jar and the floor as well as friction between the water and the inside of the jar. The full jar slows down, allowing the lighter, empty jar to take the lead!
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