Common sense tells us that if you drop a rubber ball, it will never bounce higher than you dropped it from unless you add energy by throwing it. But at first glance, the ball that The Action Lab shows in this clip defies the laws of physics. Of course, it doesn’t really, but it’s a neat trick.
There are countless videos on the Internet that claim to demonstrate machines that can generate their own energy and operate in perpetuity. Don’t believe the hype. In this video from The Action Lab, he shows off one such trick, which uses hidden electromagnets to make a sphere look like it’s spinning on its own.
James from The Action Lab shows off a physics demonstration that had us scratching our heads at first. While it appears that the ball bearing inside of this glass beaker will spin forever without adding energy, there’s a perfectly rational explanation of what’s going on. The Egg of Columbus demo is pretty neat too.
We’ve all seen the old baking soda and vinegar volcano experiment at some point. The Action Lab shows off a far more energetic and long-lasting mini volcano, but it requires the use of a toxic chemical that needs to be handles very carefully.
When is a candle not really a candle? When it’s a high-voltage plasma flame like the one shown here. The Action Lab shows how an ultra high-frequency solid state tesla coil can produce an intensely hot flame that can’t be blown out and that can even melt steel.
Unless you’re a vampire, a mirror will reflect your face when you look at it. But The Action Lab’s unique mirror is a bit different. It uses a liquid crystal panel to block out the mirror and an expression recognition app that detects if its user isn’t smiling. We like the creative approach he came up with for the triggering system.
Now that The Action Lab has painted a room in the blackest and glowing-ist paints, he’s renovated his temporary space again. This time, he covered its walls, ceiling, and floor entirely with mirrors. Despite the reflections seeming infinite, he explains how they eventually drop off.
Musou Black is said the be the blackest paint you can buy at the moment, absorbing almost all visible light. After painting some small objects with the super-dark stuff, The Action Lab created a room just so he could paint it entirely black. The Rolling Stones would be proud.
