Balancing Bottles

What You Need
• 2 glass soda bottles
• Flat surface or table
• Dollar bill

What You Do

Tell your audience that after you perform this
trick you’ll invite them each to try and whomever
gets it right on the first try can keep the dollar.

Put one glass soda bottle on the table. Place one
end of the dollar bill on top of the bottle’s mouth
so that most of the dollar bill hangs down.

Balance the second bottle upside down on top of
the first bottle, with the dollar bill sandwiched
between their mouths. It may take several tries to balance them. You’re now ready to begin your trick.

Hold the dollar bill with one hand and steady the
bottle on top with the other hand.

Let go of the bottle and quickly jerk the dollar bill
from between the bottles. The dollar bill should
slide out without knocking the bottles over. Now let the
audience try!

You may have to practice several times before
showing off this trick. Don’t give up! If you move
the dollar bill too slowly, it causes the bottles to be
pulled along with the dollar bill.

When you get really good at this, find a
thin, silky tablecloth or piece of fabric and
put it on a table. Place dishes or cups on
top of the table. Firmly grasp the edge of
the fabric with both hands and pull
quickly. The dishes should remain on the
table while the cloth slides out from
beneath them. Once you’re an expert at
this you can add water to some of the
cups and try not to spill.

Isaac Newton was a scientist who studied
how things move or stay where they are.
In these tricks, the objects stay at rest
(don’t move) while the dollar bill or tablecloth moves. Newton said that objects at
rest remain at rest unless they are acted
upon by a force (like your hand knocking
them over). He also said objects in motion
remain in motion unless a force acts upon
them. (The dollar bill moves until you stop
moving your hand.) Why does pulling the
dollar bill quickly help? That way there’s
no time for friction (resistance between
moving object^) to develop.