How to Make a Fork and Spoon Appear to Defy Gravity

Last Updated: May 6, 2021

Want to defy the laws of physics--or at least fool others into thinking you did? All you'll need are some common dinner utensils and a little creativity. With these tools, it's easy to make ordinary utensils appear to hover in space on the edge of a glass.

Steps

1
Get a large drinking glass. It is especially good if the glass has a wide mouth with a tapered bottom.
2
Fill the glass at least half full of liquid. Remember that the entire weight of the silverware will be supported on one single point on the outside edge of the glass. Keep this in mind and make sure the base of the glass is stable enough to sustain the weight.
3
Hook the fork and spoon together. Put the two outside tines of the fork over the back of the spoon When they're connected, the utensils should make sort of a boomerang shape.
4
Get a matchstick or toothpick, and place it between the center prongs of the fork. Ensure that it is still touching the spoon. Leave as much of the matchstick sticking towards the center of the "boomerang" shape as possible.
5
Position the resulting apparatus. Take the whole kit and (here comes the tricky part) balance the matchstick on the edge of the glass with the two handle ends pointing back towards the glass. Note that the matchstick will be horizontal.
6
Balance the apparatus. It might take you a moment to figure out where to place the matchstick. Try moving it from side to side, as well as closer to and farther away from the glass, to locate the best spot.
7
Consider burning the ends of the matchstick off after you have balanced everything (optional). Then sit back and collect your bets. The reason that people believe it is defying gravity is the fact that they believe it is balancing relative to the entire cup, rather than just one edge of it. They are, technically, fooling themselves.

Community Q&A

Question

Where is the center of gravity in the experiment?

Community Answer

The center of gravity is along the ends of the fork and spoon, which are aligned to the cup. The center of gravity is on the cup, so it would stay still.

Warnings

Do not attempt to burn the matchstick over a drink that contains alcohol.

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If you decide to set fire to the matchstick, be careful to only burn the ends of the matchstick, not the middle part obviously. It helps when burning the matchstick to have a lot of matchstick to burn.

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