Weightlessness in a bottle

Abstract

A simple method of demonstrating apparent weightlessness in free fall is described. The Apollo 15 hammer and feather drop experiment can be recreated in the classroom using a book to shield the feather from air resistance. Plastic toys and a feather thrown together in a plastic bottle can be used to recreate an apparent weightless environment close to the surface of the Earth. Since the bottle follows a parabolic trajectory, the objects within also follow a parabolic path and are seen to float as if in a space ship in orbit around the Earth. This demonstration is useful for demonstrating to students that apparent weightlessness is not confined to outer space. The use of toy fish in the experiments makes a connection with the neutral buoyancy training of astronauts. The experiments also exemplify Newton’s second law that force is mass times acceleration.