Adam Savage Mini Science Fair Project

7 thoughts on “Adam Savage Mini Science Fair Project”

1. Hi,

   That is a very interesting demo, Adam!

   Can we have Kishore take this to the Exploratorium and do a more in-depth demonstration and explain how this works (maybe cut the acorn shaped bearings and show the uniform width)?

   Thanks,

   Zee

   Reply

2. I don’t think that acorn shape can be sliced in any direction trough the center and get constant radius. That is the difference with ball bearing and this. If you lock ball bearings center point in 3d space, it will roll with constant height, but if you lock acorns center, it wobbles. It only works in this demonstration because it isn’t locked and can move freely.

   For example if you place it pointy tip up and slice horizontally, the surface is small surface. But off center you’ll have that sharp circular edge that has the same radius than vertically cut 2d acorn has and that is a reason why 3d shape rolls.

   Reply

3. Hi Adam. thanks for traveling to DC to participate in the WH Science Fair. Hope you talk about the fair in more detail! Cheers….

   Reply

4. Is it really constant radius? From what I can tell it looks like the distance from any point on the surface through the center (rather than distance from the center) to the other side is always constant, in which case I think it makes more sense to say they have constant diameter.

   Reply

5. , – Constant diameter (or constant width) is the property, not constant radius (1/2 distance of a diameter of a circle). Check this out.

   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curve_of_constant_width

   Let’s give Adam partial credit. 🙂

   Reply

6. Keeping kids interested in STEAM! Love it!

   Reply

7. I think with science fair projects one should identify the effecting feature between practical demos. In this case the punch line is that constant width doesn’t have to go trough the center point of the object.

   To be honest, Adam does show the vertical cut when he talks about this and I’m sure he understands this shape, but it was just left bit unclear in the video. You make that cut trough center, but in resulting surface the width doesn’t go trough the center.

   Here is an animation of the 2d acorn, see how the center point moves and the widht sweeps back and forth (imagine diagonal line where the area of acorn hits opposite sides of square.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reuleaux_triangle#/media/File:Rotation_of_Reuleaux_triangle.gif

   Reply