Have you heard of the bottle flip challenge? Well, it turns out that this fun challenge can help you understand physics concepts like mass, gravity and momentum.
Fill the bottle 1/4 to 1/3 full with water and flip it, holding the bottle loosely by the neck and tossing it forward so that the bottom rotates away from you. Try several times to throw the bottle so that it does one flip and lands upright without falling over. To complete the mission, in the app, submit a video of yourself flipping the bottle and giving a brief explanation of your “technique” to make it land perfectly. Your video must be less than 30 seconds.
Watch this video where Mercer University Associate Professor of Physics Dr. Matt Marone explains the science involved in the bottle flip.
This mission is brought to you by Mercer University and Mercer Health Sciences Center, proud sponsors of Science ATL.
The “Flip Out for Physics” activity is part of the 2021 Atlanta Science Festival‘s City Science Quest. Learn how to participate.
