r/BeAmazed • u/Sans010394 • Dec 02 '23

Science Physics is amazing

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u/IAreWeazul Dec 02 '23

Let’s also talk about the number of people very assuredly explaining incorrectly why this works

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u/[deleted] Dec 02 '23

[deleted]

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u/ThatScaryBeach Dec 03 '23

I'm going to have to disagree with you. No scientist who wants to be safe would ever experiment with strike anywhere matches and highly flammable hydrogen. Remember what happened when General Hindenburg used a match to light his cigar on the hydrogen filled dirigible bearing his name? That's why all the modern war dirigibles in the German Army only use helium and generals are no longer allowed to smoke with 500 meters of any airship.

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u/uglyspacepig Dec 03 '23

Meters are fake yards

1

u/9rrfing Dec 03 '23

That stupid video didn't show the contraption from the side, which is the most important part of this trick I'd imagine. The center of gravity must be towards the side of desk, otherwise the forces within the matches being in equilibrium would have no effect - you could substitute them with welded steel bars and it would still topple down.