Contortion, German Wheels, and Other Mind-Bending Circus Science
MINB RENDING ACTS OF THE CIRCUS Welcome to the circus Take your seat We're about to begin Here you'll see mind bending acts of all kinds Acrobats dance in the air Contortionists bend their bodies Performers climb and stack themselves into pyramids Right before your eyes the seemingly impossible becomes possible Circus acts amaze and entertain audiences Some acts are funny Others make you hold your breath Every circus act also features something else It's something very important an opportunity to understand how the world works by looking at the science behind the acts
DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME Circus acts are a blast to watch but DO NOT try them yourself Performers spend years training They practice every day Performing a circus act without the proper training and correct safety precautions could result in serious injury Instead simple activities that you CAN TRY are included They will help you understand the science behind the circus They are safe easy and fun
HUMAN PYRAMID Shh The circus is starting You can't wait to see what's first Six performers enter the ring They line up shoulder to shoulder Then they get down on their hands and knees Moments later five more performers climb on top of them getting on their hands and knees as well More performers enter and climb atop the others until they form a perfect triangle with their bodies The audience stares in awe at this human pyramid SINA
DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME How come the performers aren't crushed by the weight of those above them The pyramid relies on weight distribution When one person climbs on top of two people his or her weight is mostly balanced evenly between the two people below This means that each person on the bottom is only holding up half the weight of the person directly above As the pyramid grows taller the weight distributes to more people with those in the middle holding up more weight than those on the sides TRY THIS INSTEAD If you step on one paper cup what happens You smash it What happens if you step on several at one time Let's find out Grab two cardboard squares about 2 x 2 feet 60 x 60 centimeters each Place one cardboard square on the ground Cover it with paper cups all face down Place the other cardboard square on top Very carefully step on top of the cardboard one foot at a time Did you crush the cups That's equal weight distribution at work CIRCUS FACT The world's tallest human pyramid was built in India in 2012 It was 44 feet 13 4 meters tall Me weight distribution the spreading of weight among available supports
