Fall Of Cards (Funky Physics Experiments)

You will need:

1. Deck of Card

Here’s a new twist to a card game. After many experiments which also serve as neat magic tricks, it’s time to go back to the age-old card trick. But this one has a twist.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Before you begin ask your friends which the fastest and straightest
   way for a card to fall is–dropping
   it vertically or horizontally.
2. When most of them (if not all) say vertically, prove to them how wrong they are.
3. Holding the card vertically, drop it.
4. Next, take another card and hold it flat (horizontally). Then drop it.

RESULT

The card which was dropped horizontally will fall straight. It remains stable because it tips slightly to one side, allowing the air which is pushing up to deflect sideways, while the weight of the card keeps it falling faster than it would vertically. When we drop the card vertically, it also tips over slightly. But in this case, the slant gives the card a spin making it unstable. Hence, when dropped vertically, the card begins to spin and glide making it tumble through the air.