Two Forks, One Cup

• Edward
  December 12th, 2007 at 10:59 pm

  It just works. Try it.

• vorxaw
  December 12th, 2007 at 11:16 pm

  simple physics
  the weight of the tines are balanced by the handles of the fork which extend to the other side of the contact point between cup and toothpick

  counterbalance provided by toothpick on nonfork side is negligable, therefore has no effect on the structure when removed

  as long as the center of gravity remains over the edge of the cup, the structure is stable

• Vonskippy
  December 12th, 2007 at 11:24 pm

  Gosh Mr. Science, show us more.

  //meh
  //simple center of gravity demo
  //how bad must public education be that people are baffled by this

• ted
  December 12th, 2007 at 11:42 pm

  Why would he film that on top of the stove, I wonder?
  It looked a little dangerous to drape fabric over the elements.

• Chris
  December 13th, 2007 at 12:20 am

  is that me or all the commetns are ‘balanced’ to the center? :))

• Carruthers
  December 13th, 2007 at 1:01 am

  Seems to me the pivotal point is where the toothpick meets the rim of the cup. That’s where the toothpick+forks “structure” is resting. How does the weight of the tiny piece of wood counterbalance the two forks on the other side of the rim? I’m not dumb - explain how it works in plain English rather than just assume that anyone with more than a public education can work it out. Otherwise it wouldn’t be featured as a trick - correct?

  And I don’t want to “try it” because “it just works”. I’d rather understand it. I don’t believe in magic and I have no interest in putting the phony idea of magic in an 8 year old’s head by just showing it to him and letting him doubt that the laws of physics are mutable by hocus-pocus.

• Miss Cellania
  December 13th, 2007 at 1:14 am

  OK, I think I understand it. The problem is explaining it. Let me know if I’m wrong.

  Instead of a curve, think of the rim of the cup as a straight line, perpendicular to the toothpick. If the forks are properly curved and weighted, the handles would be on one side of that line, and the tines on the other. So the handles would be balancing the tines.

• Shervin
  December 13th, 2007 at 2:39 am

  that’s exactly the right idea!

• Hugh
  December 13th, 2007 at 3:38 am

  But why does the flame go out when it reaches the rim of the cup?

• Mark
  December 13th, 2007 at 4:28 am

  because the heat from the flame gets transferred to the cup when it reaches it, and there’s not enough energy in it to heat the cup, so it all gets absorbed and goes out

• brian t
  December 13th, 2007 at 4:29 am

  Hugh - the cup is cold metal, sucks a lot of heat out of the flame quickly, so its temperature drops too low to sustain the flame. You’ll notice those forks have fairly thick ends, but this might not work with all forks, e.g. with plastic handles.

  This looks weird because the centre of gravity of the setup is in mid-air, and that’s due to the way the forks are shaped. The toothpick is so light, relative to the forks, that burning half of it barely changes the centre of gravity of the setup.

• Mossel
  December 13th, 2007 at 5:23 am

  aaar!! another 2 minutes WASTED! =[
  I was waiting for him to do something with that old-as-hell forkbalance that would be the trick, but no.

  cmon ppl, this should NOT amaze anyone over 5yrs old.

  (I’m not that educated at all, but COME ON…)

• Chris W
  December 13th, 2007 at 7:09 am

  My friend and i just watched this and he was like “it’s a fake, they must have cut the video and suspended the forks with wire or something then recorded again”
  So to anyone else who thinks this, listen to the stereo in the background, the song is continuous, no breaks or changing song.
  Like everyone above has said it’s all to do with the centre of gravity, just looks kinda weird!

• Rob
  December 13th, 2007 at 8:11 am

  Am I the only person who’s picked up on Miss Cellania’s rather subversive choice of phrasing for the name of this post?

  I’ll just leave it at that, so no one will be tempted to google it at work or something.

• Sam
  December 13th, 2007 at 9:27 am

  @Rob
  No, you’re not

• focker
  December 13th, 2007 at 9:29 am

  @Rob

  That was the first thing that came to my mind too haha.

• Pudifoot
  December 13th, 2007 at 12:22 pm

  well said, Rob!!! I thought of that too.

• retrokatze
  December 13th, 2007 at 12:22 pm

  @Rob

  I was thinking the same thing… *lol*

• awf
  December 13th, 2007 at 2:10 pm

  someone taught me a similar trick long ago (although it doesn’t involve the “dangerous” element of FIRE, it can be done in a restaurant to amaze your friends (5 years +). Stick another toothpick in one of the holes in a salt or pepper shaker (standing straight up) and you’ll be able to balance the fork/toothpick structure on it. Place the tip of the toothpick protruding from the forks on the tip of the toothpick sticking up from the shaker (at about a 90° angle) and it will balance. It might take some managing, but it works. And if you have it just right, you might even be able to spin the forks around the upright toothpick.

• graham!
  December 13th, 2007 at 3:05 pm

  This may be the most helpful group of commenters to exist on the internet

• Rebecca
  December 13th, 2007 at 9:52 pm

  Okay, I get it now, but what is that weird green thing on the stovetop?

• Wilt Chamberland
  December 14th, 2007 at 2:07 am

  I’m pretty sure I read somewhere that they did this trick with two girls instead of forks. I can’t find the direct link but I did find this reaction to the trick:

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVw3RB5Am5U

  that guy in the suit looks pretty impressed.

• Acris
  December 15th, 2007 at 2:25 pm

  Haha he’s listening to the new Against Me!.

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