We’ve all heard Christians say things like, “It was a terrible ordeal, but God kept me standing throughout.” God doesn’t let us fall when we walk with Him in our journey through life. This Bible science experiment can help students understand how God strengthens us.
Applicable Scripture
Psalm 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation–whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life–of whom shall I be afraid?
Bible Science Experiment: Changing the Center of Gravity Experiment
Materials
– empty toilet roll
– small plastic Easter egg (the colored kind that opens so that, generally, you
can stick candy in it)
– scotch tape
– can of play dough, any color
– marker pen
Steps
1. Unscrew the plastic Easter egg. Keep the round bottom, and put the taller top off to the side.
2. Lay out one 6-inch strip of scotch tape.
3. Stick the very bottom point of the egg onto the center of the tape and press down so it sticks (sides facing up).
4. Place one end of the toilet roll on top of the egg, but not so that it completely swallows the egg and rests on the table. Think of the tube as a little man and the egg as its feet. You want the egg to stick out from the bottom as much as it can.
5. Have someone else roll the tape upwards onto either side of the tube so that the tube is now taped to the egg bottom.
6. Secure with a second piece of tape.
7. Draw a face on the top of the toilet roll so that it looks like a little disciple.
8. Stand the tube up straight so that the little disciple is balancing on the egg bottom.
9. Let go.
What happens to the disciple?
10.Roll up a good sized wad of Play dough into a ball that is about two inches across.
11.Drop the Play dough ball into the tube so that it rests in the egg bottom.
12.Stand the tube up straight again.
13.Let go.
What happens this time?
14.Try to push the little disciple over.
Does he stay down?
Answers
The first time you let go of the tube it was empty. The force of gravity pulled it down.
The second time, you had dropped a weight into the bottom. The result was that it would not fall down, and when pushed over, it would pop back up.
Bible Science Experiment Explanation
While he was empty, the top of the little disciple weighed just about as much as the bottom. That means his “center of gravity” was at his “geometric center,” or
just about around his belly. Therefore, gravity pulled at his center, and he toppled over sideways.
By adding the heavier Play dough ball, we changed the little disciple’s center of gravity to the bottom. His heaviest point was no longer at his geometric center
halfway up. Therefore, gravity pulled at the bottom. As the top is lighter, it is able to remain standing.
Understanding God
We’ve all heard Christians say things like, “It was a terrible ordeal, but God kept me standing throughout.” God doesn’t let us fall when we walk with Him in our
journey through life. Things can make us “stumble,” feel pain and disappointment, or even behave badly for a while. But God is like the heavy ball. He gets us back
to our feet with His strength, defying all things that say we should stay down!
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I could not get this to work at all. Tried different amounts of playdough and different toilet paper rolls.
Thanks for sharing your idea. However It was kinda hard for me to visualize. An image of some type would have helped a lot. (A picture is worth a 1000 words).