Launch a Marker Lid: Exploring the Physics of Flight

[h.g.Whiz]

If you press your first three fingers evenly across a Crayola brand marker lid as hard as you can on a smooth surface, you can make it fly all the way across the room. I was wondering what causes it to take flight. I'm pretty sure its rotation has something to do with the way it floats through the air. But is the rotation actually creating the lift-off, or is it really just ricocheting of the floor.

 

[DaveC426913]

You mean why it doesn't go straight across the table, but jumps into the air?

I suspect that the pressure on the cap flattens it. Release causes the cap to rebound, which would cause it to leap up.

If you want to prove that the cause is in the launch and not in the flight, do the same thing up against a vertical surface. The cap won't be able to fly, but I'll bet it will still leap straight up a foot or two.

 

[sir-pinski]

The physics of flight can be a complex concept, but in the case of launching a marker lid, it is actually a combination of both rotation and ricocheting off the floor that causes it to take flight. When you press your fingers evenly across the lid, you are creating a force that propels the lid forward. This force, combined with the smooth surface of the floor, allows the lid to slide and rotate as it travels across the room.

As the lid rotates, it creates a lift force due to the air passing over its surface. This lift force helps to keep the lid in the air and allows it to travel further. However, the ricocheting off the floor also plays a significant role in the flight of the lid. When the lid hits the floor, it bounces off at an angle, which changes the direction of its flight. This back and forth motion, along with the rotation, allows the lid to travel a longer distance than if it were just sliding across the floor.

In summary, both rotation and ricocheting off the floor are essential factors in the flight of the marker lid. Without one or the other, the lid would not be able to travel as far as it does. This is a fun and simple way to explore the principles of physics and learn about the forces that affect flight.