Spinning Science
Explore the science of spinning tops and engineer your own!
Explore:
- Motion & Forces
- Rotational Inertia
- Drawing with Tops
About This Crate
This steel top can spin for a super long time. (Now that’s top-notch!) Photo by Christophe Hautier on Unsplash
- Did you know? The second Wednesday of every October is International Top Spinning Day. On this unusual holiday, people try to get at least 10,000 tops spinning around the world!
- A man from Singapore set a record when he spun a fidget spinner on one finger for more than 25 minutes.
- Tops have been around since ancient times. Today, they’re often molded from plastic or metal. But some of the oldest tops were made of materials easily found in nature — like pointy shells, acorns, or even thorns.
Repurpose your crate
Materials
- Kiwi Crate box
- Pencil
- Round object (like a cup or bottle)
- Scissors
- Art supplies (like stickers, crayons, or the markers from your crate)
- Coin
Directions
- Use the pencil to trace a round object onto some cardboard from your Kiwi Crate box.
- Cut out the circle with a pair of scissors.
- Use art supplies to decorate the circle however you like.
- Ask a grownup assistant to help you carefully cut a slit in the center of the circle. The slit should fit the coin snugly. Tip: Try getting the slit started by poking a hole with a pencil. Then use scissors to widen it!
- Finish the top by pushing a coin down through the slit about halfway.
- To spin your top, pinch the coin between two fingers like you did with the tops in your crate. Then use a snapping motion to get it going.
- Experiment and make more tops! How do different designs look when you spin them? What happens if you make the circle a different size or use a different coin for the stem?
