Balancing Matchstick Trick - TKOR Shows You How To Do The Fork Balance Trick

Inspired by my childhood, here's a cool trick I learned from my dad. In this video we're doing a little magic. Why not? This is where random happens.
If you want to try something new and creative or just a simple weekend project such as: match stick trick, balancing forks on toothpick, fork balance trick, toothpick tricks, balancing tricks, DIY magic, easy magic for kids...watch the video to learn more.
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WARNING:
This video is only for entertainment purposes. If you rely on the information portrayed in this video, you assume the responsibility for the results. Have fun, but always think ahead, and remember that every project you try is at YOUR OWN RISK.
#tkor #thekingofrandom

[@TheKingofRandom]

*✌ Congratulations to Kyla H. from Belize City, BZ, Belize who won World's Largest Gummy Worm* (goo.gl/uWzzeR) *from VAT19. An email has been sent for you to collect your prize. Winner Wall of Fame:* goo.gl/RdGLqH *The contest is now closed. If you missed it, learn how to get in the next one:* goo.gl/BkXQZL *For an even better chance to win, follow me on Instagram:* instagram.com/thekingofrandom *& Facebook:* facebook.com/thekingofrandomfanpage

[@sh0o7ermccaleb78]

great videos man, keep it up

[@tubby8932]

awesome dude

[@AlvinDema]

Really early

[@mrreverse3081]

Grant Thompson - "The King of Random" hi

[@joelstein8037]

Grant Thompson - "The King of Random" hi dude #4

[@multimoron11]

maybe the flame went out because you werent saying nice things to it

[@Ana-cl8xz]

Yeah, most likely.

[@tech-jacked7213]

Boris Deletic omfg Im dying rn xD

[@shabbernm5326]

Jack Maalouf t

[@vatablous]

I tried to do this but my dad caught me and said told me I better not bend that fork... The cost of doing business...

[@nimbusws5946]

My sister did the same thing but when I showed the vid she asked me to demonstrate xD

[@dagothur6238]

He's a boomer

[@ryansrandomprojects8289]

Great video! When are you going to some metal casting?

[@that_guy_aiden_white]

Ya cast a fidget spinner with different metals to see if different metal makes one spin longer. Like if you agree which you should

[@DeclanCrane]

It's really nice to scroll through the comments and see that Grant actually takes the time to read through them in "heart" them or whatever. Most KZbinrs say they read comments but never show they actually do. You're awesome Grant!

[@jessm8734]

Do more tabletop science!!!

[@timothybarker5085]

Yeah.

[@technobird22]

Yeah!

[@vasinairiden168]

Does your wife ever get mad at you for breaking all her glasses?

[@arokace]

I doubt it lol...He probably has a second set of everything to use specifically on his channel. And even if he didn't it isn't like he is going and using the expensive wine glasses that they might have... :P

[@jeffcook8501]

Bringing back childhood memories. we use to do this all the time at restaurants.

[@dmitrybarker-privalov6702]

Hey Grant when will you show us how to make that gun on the dewalt video? loads of people want to see it

[@a-lphaofzeldaformegaming7907]

1070 people want to help

[@odinphantom7337]

Back when he made his electric arc furnace, he threw some stones in and made a lava-like substance. I wanna see him do "lava" and molten metals against liquid nitrogen!

[@aleagambill5933]

[ODIN] Phantom look up Back Yard Scientist....

[@odinphantom7337]

Alea Gambill from what I have seen, he only ever seems to work with molten aluminium (or aluminum, if you prefer calling it that) and I like something about the way that Grant does things more than how Backyard Scientist does things. I'm not entirely sure what it is, but I just connect more with Grant's videos

[@james_snook]

The glass is acting like a heat break and pulls the heat away from the match.

[@theminesweeperguy5617]

so if he were to use something else the results would be different?

[@dragonangel001]

Yep. Try using something that does not seep the heat! Fire needs 3 things, combustible, oxygen and heat!

[@noobscience]

I agree. Someone should try to preheat the glass to see if the flame continue...

[@greyktv1651]

james snook because the heat capacity of the glass is much higher

[@kuboskube]

This is an agreeable comment.

[@Qblaze]

I think there might be a couple different things at play with the match going out. I think the biggest factor is probably one that's already been mentioned, and that the glass is absorbing the heat of the flame, but since there's fuel for the flame still, I think it might also have something to do with the amount of weight/tension on the fibers of the wood after the fulcrum point. I would test this by placing a match on different surfaces/materials and see how they burn, and also try with varying amounts of weight on the match, see if that has an impact.

[@psykatrick3497]

The highlight of my day is when I get a notification saying Grant has uploaded a new video

[@sharpness4]

we'll never forget you, martini glass

[@imjust_don]

What would happen if you put orbeez in liquid propane or butane instead of water? Whose with me?

[@icollectpokemoncards5815]

no one

[@a-lphaofzeldaformegaming7907]

or spitballs

[@amygdal3501]

meeee!!!!!!!!!!

[@spinning_addicts3510]

Brandman orbeez cannot grow in butane or propane

[@jacobfischer5748]

the orbeez would just freeze.

[@kabirbhattal5876]

insulating the junction between then and match helped, also tried on wooden edge(obviously polished so it doesn't catch 🔥) , totally works... the reason could possibly be that the glass had a cooling effect on the match

[@thebowsak]

Everything stays in place, because the center of gravity is so defined by the fork and spoon, that the small change by the burned match, won't make a difference :-)

[@larswilms8275]

And the glass take away the heat needed to burn the wood.

[@TheridMegu]

Ah, another science loving, drunk dane. Goodday to you sir.

[@matejnukic]

do you realy from danmark ?

[@TheridMegu]

I am from Denmark.

[@matejnukic]

du onsker at tale dansk😉

[@klumpefaen]

matches are usually covered halfway up in some sort of flameable material. the glass would shoke the flame on its way up the match.

[@gabilzy3015]

No offence but I kinda miss your old videos with the major projects. Like if you agree

[@haydenkinney8969]

Same I do to

[@wakethemountain9467]

Gabilzy Yeah, I still like these videos, but I miss the larger projects too

[@imsuchanoob-2140]

Gabilzy I miss all the quality videos...

[@houstonholford8073]

The volcano

[@christiankirby8092]

Gabilzy I agree.

[@bloodyl_uk]

I like this experiment as it teaches about balancing of systems. :)

[@Simeon_Lifecoach]

i think the flame stopped, because the glass absorbe the heat from the wood and cool down the flame.

[@Fred13Mr]

Nope, here's the explanation: it has to do with the center of mass, which grant showed in two different places. That point on the march, where it balances, is the center of mass. So shouldn’t burning half of the toothpick away shift the center of mass? Yes, but by a trivial amount. Each of those forks has a mass of about 35 grams, while the toothpick has a mass of less than one gram. Losing half of the toothpick probably shifts the center of mass toward the tines of the forks by a hundred microns or so, but that’s almost certainly less than the width of the rim on the glass, so it won’t make a difference in the balance. As for why the flame stops, that's because wood has a lower heat capacity than glass, thus encouraging the heat transfer.

[@Fred13Mr]

Dcvbkyrsscbgdsxcgf because I replied to the wrong comment 😜

[@noobscience]

I agree. Someone should try to preheat the glass to see if the flame continue...

[@JamieFisk]

You would also need to heat it to nearly the temp of the burning embers of wood (I.e. glowing red glass) which you could actually use a fulcrum point of a small glass rod, that would not shatter upon being heated to that temp, but it would likely ignite the matchstick on contact.

[@normanbuchanan9710]

+Peter Smith he said match (OR) toothpick

[@polyjohn3425]

The glass acts as a heat shield. Glass is clear to visible light but it absorbs infrared light, so the radiant heat from the fire doesn't reach the lower portion of the matchstick. It also acts as a bit of a radiator, absorbing and pulling away heat from the part of the matchstick that is touching it, so the rest of the matchstick doesn't get hot enough to keep burning.

[@KoenWoo]

This vid is gonna get million of views

[@SephirothITM]

As the centre of mass moves due to burning of the match the whole setup tips. Because of the tip the flame has to burn up the match at a shallower angle. Eventually the match is horizontal and the flame can no longer burn upwards. Flames generally burn upwards as they are a plasma and so typically much less dense than air. This starves the flame of fuel and so it goes out. The system will only have moved a small distance past the horizontal balancing point when this happens so it will be left balanced very close to horizontally.

[@toxie_]

lolwhen you show this during the witch trials. "BURN THE WITCH (or wizard)."

[@chase4803]

TX Gaming ya

[@a-lphaofzeldaformegaming7907]

witch point

[@toxie_]

Erhan Burger lol ok

[@TheAarhusGuy]

I swear the end bloopers are the most hilarious thing ever! xD

[@duckjr94]

My theory as to why the match stops burning is because it cannot burn from below the match once it reaches the edge of the glass, this is why the flame appears to dissipate just as it crosses the threshold, but the underside remains untouched...

[@TonViper]

Äctually, I've always heard that it is because the glass can absorb all of the heat from the flame, and so there isn't enough to sustain the reaction.

[@duckjr94]

TonViper that's an interesting theory... so if the glass was preheated, in theory, the match should burn past the lip

[@aaronb3024]

That wasnt a hypothesis, that was an observation. all you did was point out what happened tardboy

[@danielwallace1139]

TonViper is correct. The heat that sustains the burning match does so by keeping the immediate area at or above the "kindling temperature" of the wood. The glass acted as a heat sink, drawing the heat away to the point that the temperature dropped below the kindling temperature, extinguishing the flame. This is how water extinguishes fire.

[@duckjr94]

Daniel Wallace thanks for the reply! That makes a whole lot of sense

[@SpecificLove7]

I never tried burning a match before. Very interesting.

[@wilor14]

Can you test if thermite can melt dry ice?

[@TertiaryChrome]

At least something I can try at home. About time ! :)

[@antwon5933]

Man that was a lot of Table Top TRICKS that you showed us.

[@Joe-iz3rf]

I love these types of vids thanks for still uploading and being great grant

[@jimphieffer3649]

WE NEED MORE RANDOM WEEKEND PROJECTS! LIKE THIS IF YOURE WITH ME!

[@ianpeters5725]

I think the match goes out because it requires the heat flow from the bottom to burn (when the bottom is burning, it has the added advantage of the heat flow trying to go up, adding heat to the overall system and allowing the combustion reaction to continue) but when the bottom can't burn, because there's a glass in the way, you lose a lot of the heat required for combustion in the top.

[@tomsteel5765]

Um hello, I know that this is pretty random and I am not sure if anyone has said this before but you could do liquid nitrogen vs paper? I think that it would be a cool experiment

[@robertsalmon6893]

When I was a kid, we used to do the same trick with two forks and a quarter, jam the forks together the insert a quarter in the tines, works great as well.

[@alexmacomber3412]

Make a stained glass pokeball

[@ogficht]

I bet it has been said before, but the flame went out because the glass is able to dissipate the heat energy better than air. A flame needs three things to keep burning: oxygen, heat and a material that is able to oxidize. Once the flame reaches the glass, the necessary "flame-triangle" can no longer be sustained, because the heat is getting pulled away faster than the flame can produce heat. If you would heat the glass up enough or place a piece of kaowool between the glass and the match, the fire could carry on burning even after the fulcrum point. You could also try the same experiment but change the glass to a plastic cup.

[@spc._.6150]

What happens when you mix electricity and anti-freeze

[@IJoeAceJRI]

electricity and gasoline!!!

[@parker-jx1yc]

JoeAceJR electricaty and desle or carosine

[@IJoeAceJRI]

Its diesel and kerosine. And why not electricity and gasoline?

[@JoseGarcia-yc7lq]

Your a wizard Grant!!

[@cooltechno360]

*Should have lit the match from the other side*

[@samottenbreit4073]

ELiT3CH then it burns the part that's holding the spoon and fork and those fall instead of the match which is what he was trying to get to happen, other side wouldn't have worked at all

[@cooltechno360]

Exactly

[@youtubecomment7974]

ELiT3CH me

[@kbeta]

i cannot answer with 100% certainty, BUT we know that it balances due to low center of gravity-mass (call it however you like) and we know that due to the weight difference of the match-metal thingie, cutting off any piece of the match inside the glass won't affect the system because it is balanced and because the only force applied TO the glass is in that tiny surface area... although the real question remains.. why does the flame go off? i have 2 possible solutions, 1. flame goes up, glass disturbs the flame which cannot go downwards so it's doomed to go out. 2. the entropy of the balancing system is much smaller than that of the burning match, the match wants to burn and destroy the system's balance (F=0), but the heavy unit (the balancing system) wants to stay as is (inertia). there is not enough entropy on the match to disturb the inertia of the system, so the whole system stops itself at the midpoint (point of contact with the glass). am i crazy?

[@samhill6816]

Can you start using metric and imperial measurement please

[@Oroborospaces]

No. We Americans are superior to your European ways.

[@DensoLP]

Typical American, eh?

[@lolonee]

Not just Europeans. Basically every country uses the metric system apart from the USA.

[@tedleer9296]

This needs to happen

[@bid96gtaIV]

Using a Roman system makes you superior how...?

[@Da0yster]

The rim of the glass draws some heat away from the burning match stick. This keeps it cool enough not to ignite I suspect, hence why the flame stops near the rim because it doesn't stay hot enough to maintain combustion of the wood.

[@shermeh2004Gaming]

Mix oobleck with unflavored gelatin I did it yesterday to see what happens and it was cool it's weird

[@ghostkilla931]

this video blew my mind all over the wall.

[@lime_forrest1451]

It will not fall off

[@lime_forrest1451]

Guessed it

[@Glimmerglint]

I was laughing the entire time when he was saying "do you think the forking spoon will fall off?"

[@dotz0cat]

grant you should make a cathode ray tube all you need to do so is some electrodes, a glass Tube, a torch(to seal the tube) and a vacuum pump. If you think grant should make a cathode ray tube like this comment.

[@Goldiebike]

Thanks a lot for this trick 👌👌👌😁😁😉😉😉 Greetings from Greece ❤

[@suraj9519]

Hey please keep bubble wrap in a vacuum chamber

[@JeremyYooo]

The bubbles will just expand due to pressure, or even pop depending on the material of them, bit it would be pretty cool to see !

[@ranjdall]

I love these videos that I can try with the kids

[@definitelyhuman669]

Witchcraft!!!

[@DJGamingfps]

the flame stops at the glass because the wood is a catalyst for the flame to continue to burn but when it get to the glass the flame cant fully burn through the full diameter of the match because the melting point of the glass is much higher than that of the wood, im sure if you did the same test with some sort of thin plywood in place of the glass cup the flame would continue past the edge.

[@kaden6054]

Meet up with mark rober and do something with rockets

[@Lorenzo-oq2nj]

So satisfying!

[@seanodonnell7716]

King of random should start his own TV show about life hacks and fun stuff to do l Like if you agree

[@timothyd.9859]

it would cost a sh!tload but i'd love to see one

[@Carbon12_666]

Life is Random and we just found the king

[@maxtimmins9804]

hey grant you should make your own fidget spinner like if u agree

[@RandomVids823]

Max Timmins yeah that would be cool. He could make like a full cooper one and just make a mold for it and he could sell them

[@thewildguide8173]

The reason it keeps going out at the edge of the glass is a matter of o2 to the fuel once it hits a wall or lip of a glass in this case the fire doesn't have as much room to sustain a burn so it's snuffed out and stays at the point of equilibrium

[@omargonzalez6492]

do a how to fidget spinner molding and casting

[@timothyd.9859]

nonononononono

[@AlexisAlexander646]

Figure that out yourself. Besides, you can literally buy one on Amazon for $1-10

[@Diamondsmuggler]

Omar Gonzalez no plz no cancer

[@camacamachameleon7315]

I'm pretty sure the glass is just preventing the flame from moving further since it's already a weak flame and you're removing a bit of it's ability to keep moving up the match.

[@snoopu2601]

Woo how cool is that have to show this trick to my nieces and nephews at the next gathering

[@frederikholmquist3160]

You're a wizard Grant😉

[@christophersmith8936]

Can you make a video showing a use for wood gas? You talk briefly about it in your "Making Charcoal" video and I found it fascinating. This is my first time leaving a comment for your channel so I wanted to add a thank you for some truly awesome videos

[@rbacon131]

I really enjoy your videos

[@loyboys]

I have a question, if you are in a survival situation, is there a way to use butane from canisters to make a small fire that will light up a small room or even cook with it, when you don't have a burner that fits it?

[@jonessmithy2454]

BROO WTF THIS IS SO COOL AND IT JUST LOOKS SO TRIPPY

[@sabeehkhan4647]

Hello KOR! did you try heating up the glass so the coldness the glass did not interfere with the combustion?

[@TogetherInKindness]

This is cool!

[@owl448]

Plz do more of the PROJECTS where u built stuff like mini metal foundry, ark furnace, skyblaster slingshot Etc

[@o3keer304]

This is freaking amazing

[@tahoeking4425]

Keep up the amazing work! You make my mornings sooo much better

[@ghostquartzgrey5639]

Taking 'life hacks' to a whole new level

[@calebdube2821]

What about waterproof matches in a vaccum chamber and is touch powder Also sensitive In a vaccum chamber.

[@flipsideroot]

the glass is dispersing the heat faster than it could heat up the wood past ignition point. Also the wood in contact with the glass can't get enough oxygen to burn. That is why the fire stops at the lip of the glass.

[@SurgingApocalypse]

I think the flame goes out because when it hit the edge of the glass, the surface area that contact with the air become smaller,and oxygen that support the burning become less.

[@becc12able]

the glass absorb the heat of the match and putting the flame out. Since the balance point is on the glass, as soon the flame gets closer the energy of the flame is absorb by the glass and stopping at the balance point. essentially showing us the approximate balance point of the system.

[@becc12able]

well that's how I was explained about it.

[@dukx7914]

Already watched part one I am watching since the matchstick rockets 🚀 ❤🇿🇦✌🏻

[@fuckface9107]

for some reason i only watch this channel late at night

[@Alittlebitinteresting]

It's pretty simple I think. A fir needs fuel, oxygen, and heat. When the flame reaches the part of the match over the glass the glass absorbs so much heat that the fire dies

[@sparrow082]

I believe the weight of utensils compresses the pores in the Matchstick not allowing oxygen between the fires of the wood. squeeze a Matchstick with a pair of pliers and then light it, it shouldn't burn past the squeeze point.

[@Felix-ve9hs]

the heat of the flame rises from the bottom to the top, but if the bottom has not enough heat for the fire to continue burning anymore, the flame extinguishes (it goes from an exothermic reaction to an endothermic reaction) I guess this is because the glass absorbs heat and/or blocks the oxygen

[@Ruinedmovie]

It could be that the glass absorbs enough energy that the heat of the flame slows the gassing of the wood (the oils that actually ignite) to the point it can not keep a flame. This is likely the case as rarely do solids or liquids burn, rather the heat begins to vaporize the fuel and the gas ignites, as a general rule gasses require less thermal energy to reach an ignition point. But then again matches have chemicals in the head to ignite and some have chemicals on the other side to slow the flame (that way you don't burn your fingers) and those could be the reason. I would do this with tooth picks to find out which.

[@IRZAMiMiC]

Because the fire below the match stick is at the end facing the glass, and the top match stick must keep moving in order to get fuel, and the glass is blocking the flame under the match stick, make the fire on top almost helpless

[@kevinbaldwin2526]

What if you balanced the match holding the fork and spoon onto the tip of a needle? Would that allow enough exposed surface area underneath the match stick to allow the flame to burn past the fulcrum??

[@Alexander0189]

This explains the thing I used to have as a kid. They still sell them now I think. An eagle plastic toy with weights in the ends of its wings and you could balance the very tip of the eagles beak on your finger letting the eagle spin round round and wobble without falling... Very similar to this!

[@c_trabbi]

when you were playing with acid with the different flasks the circle one the carbon looked cool. and it would be cool if you could turn it into a medal mold

[@VAviation24]

Logic, "Posted 12 Hours ago" Grant's comment : "6 days ago"

[@frannymcfranfran]

i loved this!!! please post more stuff i can do with kids =)

[@BlaCCsky74]

I think because the of the fulcrum point being where it is. Its causing the match to collapse on itself. So when the mass of the match condenses into that fulcrum point it makes that particular point too dense for the flame to burn past it. Idk just a guess. @Grant Thompson

[@maddyschad6649]

It's a lot like the balancing eagle that has one point that balances really well and with wings sticking forward. Is that how the balancing eagle works?

[@Desiccate-water]

"hey honey may I borrow one of our glasses?" .... "you won't break it will you?!" .... "no no, it's just a harmless physics trick". ..... .... .... **SMASH** . "what was that!!!"

[@gwick358]

The reason the match goes out at the edge of the glass is because combustion requires both heat and oxygen. there is no (or almost no) oxygen between the match and the perfectly smooth glass rim. That's why the top of the match burns until it can't keep transferring heat. Heat rises. look at the angle created by the fire once it has passed the glass rim.

[@haydenkinney8969]

Is the cold liquid in store bought wart remover as cold as liquid nitrogen? Does it work the same as liquid nitrogen?

[@timothyd.9859]

no and no

[@JamieFisk]

Heat capacity of the glass absorbs the heat energy causing a sink in the thermal energy needed to carry on burning.

[@willsloan223]

matches work on the same principles as a gasifier. the glass is acting as a heatsink taking away heat and preventing gasification. thats why it wont burn past the glass at room temperature.

[@abdullanasser8080]

Love your videos

[@chrisfarley6662]

It is the edge of the glass or the center of gravity that is extinguishing the flame. Can you try this without the spoon and fork and balance the match another way? What if you dip the match in something flammable first?

[@fatalfury66]

love your vids man