Lever catapult: launch by a falling weight
A heavy weight drops onto the short arm of a lever and throws a light ball from the long one. A levers and energy experiment for kids 9+.
Interactive experiments for kids, students and teachers. Run each one right on the page, then open a copy in the Tymora editor and change mass, friction, elasticity or gravity. Every experiment comes with discussion questions and a version to try at home.
A heavy weight drops onto the short arm of a lever and throws a light ball from the long one. A levers and energy experiment for kids 9+.
A heavy ball on a rod swings down and smashes a brick wall. An energy and momentum experiment for kids 7+.
Three skiers ride down the same hill: with good wax, poor wax and none. Compare who glides farthest on the flat.
A wheel rolls into a half-round ramp and climbs the other side almost to the same height. A chart shows the energy.
A ball rolls down a ramp, topples dominoes, the last one hits a lever, which tosses a ball — and the ‘bell’ rings.
The same ball falls onto the floor, a soft trampoline and a stiff one. On the floor it stops dead; on the trampolines it bounces up again.
Three identical swings: no pushes, pushes along the motion and pushes against it. Rules push the seat as it passes the lowest point.
Three identical cannons with springs of different stiffness fire at 45°. The stiffer the spring, the farther the ball goes: twice as stiff, roughly twice as far.