Balance the Forces Within a Mobile

art mobile thumbnail

Introduction

Have you ever seen a mobile? Not a mobile phone, but a hanging art sculpture. You might have had such a mobile in your room when you were little. These mobiles hang from the ceiling and are usually made up of many layers of rods to which lots of differently shaped objects are attached with strings. When you look at the mobile sculpture, you might wonder how it can stay balanced all the time even when it is moving in the air. In this activity, you will make your own mobile sculpture and find out how it stays balanced.

Credits

Materials

• Heavy construction paper or cardstock, ideally various colors
• Hole punch
• Pen
• Markers
• Scissors
• Tape
• String
• Straws, at least 10
• Ceiling or door frame to hang the mobile from
• Optional: Scale with 0.1 g precision
  

  materials needed for this art mobile activity