jnw (03/29/83)
Armchair physicists and Ph.D.s, explain this one! I've been told that the only time you can balance an egg on its big end is at the equinox. I've seen demonstrations of the fact that eggs do balance on end at the equinox and have never seen an egg balance on end when it is not the equinox. Is the folklore concerning the equinox correct? If so, WHY? Several wild ideas have been posed around here concerning the juxtaposition of the earth's axis and the sun at the equinox, but they don't seem to hold water. I think this is probably of general interest if someone has an explanation, so if you KNOW why this works (or if it's a lie) please reply to the net. Thanx. joe wilson Univ. of Virginia uucp: ...decvax!duke!mcnc!ncsu!uvacs!jnw CSnet: jnw@uvacs Arpa: jnw.uvacs@udel-relay
lynnef (03/30/83)
In my college Physics class, I had an Chinese professor. He walked in one day (in the Spring sometime), and announced that it was a special Chinese holiday on which an egg could be stood on end. He stood up about 3 eggs and then proceeded with the lecture. Sometime later in the month I succeeded in standing an egg on its end. It was not an equinox at the time. I think it has to do with luck and magic fingers myself.
kdmoen (03/31/83)
I've seen demonstrations of the fact that eggs do balance on end at the equinox and have never seen an egg balance on end when it is not the equinox. Who performed these demonstrations? Under what conditions? It's fairly simple to balance an egg on end on an apparently smooth table top. All you need to do is (secretly) deposit a few grains of sand or salt on the table, under the egg. I've done the trick myself. I find it hard to believe that the equinox has any real stabilizing effect on eggs. Doug Moen, {allegra,decvax,utcsrgv}!watmath!kdmoen
halle1 (04/01/83)
I think it more likely that the egg was hard boiled, and you were tricked.
rhm (04/01/83)
I'm sure that assymetric tidal forces are a factor. These questions are discussed at considerable length in a book named "The Theory of the Top" by Felix Klein (translated from the German "Theorie des Kreisels").