Mystic Rattleback: Asymmetric Physics Toy with Magical Reverse Spin
$5.00
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Mystic Rattleback: Asymmetric Physics Toy with Magical Reverse Spin
$5.00
This is a physics toy with a unique center of gravity that leads to its mysterious behavior.
This is a magical stone with magic power. While it may look like a simple, boat-shaped piece of plastic or polished stone, its unique asymmetrical design hides a fascinating secret: it has a very strong "preferred" direction of rotation.
Here are two amazing ways to observe its unique behavior:
Way 1: The Magic Reversal Spin The most famous trick is trying to spin it the "wrong" way.
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Place the stone on a smooth, flat surface.
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Give it a strong spin in a clockwise direction.
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Watch closely! Instead of spinning smoothly, it will quickly become unstable and start to "rattle" or rock violently back and forth.
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Amazingly, it will grind to a complete stop for a split second, and then immediately reverse its direction, spinning back smoothly in counter-clockwise direction.
Way 2: The Tap-to-Twirl You don't even need to spin it to make it move.
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Start with the stone sitting completely still on the table.
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Simply tap or press down firmly on just one end of the stone to make it rock up and down like a seesaw.
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Due to its unique physics, that simple up-and-down rocking motion will mysteriously transform into rotational energy, and the stone will start spinning all on its own!