Distribution of Mass

 

Visitors roll wheels down an inclined track. The wheels are identical, but are equipped with three radially adjustable weights. Visitors can easily reposition these weights, changing the wheels’ “distribution of mass”. This allows for unlimited experimentation and observation of the sometimes surprising results.  When a wheel’s mass is concentrated near the perimeter of the wheel, it has a greater rotational inertia, resulting in a slower acceleration down the track than when the wheel’s mass is concentrated near the center.