The Balancing Bird - F-J's Physics - Video 1

Can you work out how this works? Fun experiments with the balancing bird. [CORRECTION - the centre of mass is indeed BELOW the beak! Not sure what I was thinking and thanks to all of you who pointed it out!]

[@alichowdhury3502]

Amazing, best physics channel to date!

[@AnthonyFrancisJones]

Thanks Ali. So pleased you liked it. This was my first physics film of the series and I am still pleased with how it came out. Do hope you enjoy the others too. Any suggestions, let me know.

[@alichowdhury3502]

Any particular advise for A level Physics, in particular the practical paper for AQA. I’m aiming for A*/A but noticed it’s really hard to prepare for the practical paper- any resources/tips to perhaps improve success.

[@AnthonyFrancisJones]

@@alichowdhury3502 - That's a good idea - some of it I will cover in my demonstrations I hope. The rest is making sure you are up to speed on things like errors, uncertainty calculations and understanding graphs. Know the demonstrations that you have seen or are in your textbook really well. If there is a particular experiment that comes to mind let me know. Remember I have done the photoelectric effect and electron gun/beams as well as two on diffraction. Might help?

[@AnthonyFrancisJones]

@@alichowdhury3502 Funny, with all the Covid business I have now done films on all of these things - I guess your A levels are out of the way now and you have moved on.

[@eden20111]

Omg I thought these things were just a fever dream from my childhood. It’s nice to see these toys actually exist.

[@AnthonyFrancisJones]

Yes! You can still find quite a few examples around or make simple ones. There is one that involves meshing two forks together and balancing them on a wine bottle. This was my first video back in the day so thanks for watching!

[@uptonogood300]

Great video ! Balance toys are so fascinating..

[@AnthonyFrancisJones]

So pleased you liked it. It was the very first I made in the 'F-J's Physics' series of which there are nearly 80 now - I still feel it was one of my better ones!

[@unknownaccount8411]

great work professor ! thank you for clarifying this, i wish you do a series about how some scientific gadgets and toys works, or even some old devices like Aljazari devices or leonardo davinci

[@AnthonyFrancisJones]

Thanks very much for your kind comment. This was the video that started it all off for me! I have such a long list of videos that I could make - so many things are interesting and especially what you have suggested. The problem is I see physics everywhere I look so it is hard to know what not to do! I need to do one on Crooke's Radiometer as I have not seen a single video that really explains it properly - hope I can! Thanks very much for watching and keep up your enthusiasm for all things 'physics'!

[@user-zd3kq2zi7e]

Very interesting

[@AnthonyFrancisJones]

Pleasure Olivia. Really pleased you found it fun. Plenty more in that playlist. You have just watched the first every one I made!

[@TheEckert01]

That school house is beautiful! I live in Florida, US; there's not nearly as much history here. Please keep making videos!

[@AnthonyFrancisJones]

Yes, I am very lucky to work in this beautiful old lab - I have 'resisted' change and have kept the old wooden benches too where some of the rooms have had a modern refit. It was built in the 1930s so it is not as old as it looks but what architecture for a school!

[@alfianfahmi5430]

The magic of balancing

[@AnthonyFrancisJones]

Indeed!

[@NoobGaming-bk8yu]

The magic of science

[@AnthonyFrancisJones]

Indeed!

[@doutormanhattan5680]

The center of mass is directly BELOW the beak

[@AnthonyFrancisJones]

Thanks Edvaldo - you are of course right! Others have pointed this out to me - I have no idea what I was thinking - It was my first video and I hope I have improved since then! I will correct the video. Thanks again for commenting.

[@doutormanhattan5680]

@@AnthonyFrancisJones Thank you for the video. Great job.

[@AnthonyFrancisJones]

@@doutormanhattan5680 Thank you for taking such an interest and getting the physics right!

[@TylerP9999]

i had this exact one as a kid, i remember thinking it was the coolest thing .. nostalgia ! 🥰🥰🥰

[@AnthonyFrancisJones]

Thanks, it's a lovely toy and when my pupils broke it I struggled to find one as big again. Glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for taking the time to comment.

[@amberdiaz6366]

Amazing toy when I was a kid

[@AnthonyFrancisJones]

It is wonderful - I am sure you understand it well now Amber.

[@syedmajidahmed8292]

Wow

[@AnthonyFrancisJones]

Glad you liked it.

[@omdave1008]

Center of mass concept?

[@AnthonyFrancisJones]

Yes, that's it - nice toy to demonstrate this.

[@linh100ful]

Actuality, the center gravity is below the beak.

[@AnthonyFrancisJones]

Thanks for the comment - it is difficult to actually state where the centre of gravity is exactly the way I did things - it could be just on the tip of the beak like when you balance a piece of rigid card on your finger - I am sure you are right though that it is below the beak but, and this is the crucial bit for this demo - not just anywhere below the beak (i.e. 3cm below a wing) but in a vertical line through the beak. Thanks again for your comment - always good to get us thinking.

[@Landy82c]

😎

[@martareyes7177]

Make more vids please!!!

[@AnthonyFrancisJones]

Thanks for taking the time to comment Marta. Glad you liked the video and hope you have had a chance to see some of the others. Do let me know what types of things you like - hope I have covered some of them.

[@richardpalatis9389]

This my favorite toy when i was a little boy i have that toy suddenly i broke it cuz i wanna see whats the inside its nothing inside i said *how did it balance when theres nothing on the inside* brilliant toy you got there professer

[@AnthonyFrancisJones]

Thanks Edmund - a great choice of toy. My pupils dropped the bird and broke it by accident so I had to repair that one too. Simple toy but such good physics!

[@martareyes7177]

Why break it

[@guislarcia6423]

1:08 This is the work of the devil

[@athulkrishnak.u7255]

I want this toy...

[@AnthonyFrancisJones]

Yes, it's a lot of fun!

[@BadActingWYIM]

Amazon has gravity bird

[@rapidolumbrez5695]

Well i like this but ur add is one hour long sorrh

[@AnthonyFrancisJones]

Thanks, yes I agree with you. This was the very first video I uploaded nearly five years ago. I have learnt a bit since then. The add was done as a bit of a joke - I had a few students at the time who instead of thinking out a mathematical question would try every formula in the book, even those for completely different bits of physics! Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment.