This experiment was one I have never seen or tried before. The materials are simple, an empty wine bottle, a cork, and a handkerchief or cloth napkin. I had to get the cork inside the bottle. But the cork expanded since we pulled it from the bottle and would not fit AT ALL in the bottle, so I shaved it down to the size it would have been if it just came out of the bottle… it was still difficult, but I got it in!
To get started, I gently tapped the cork on the ground until it couldn’t get in the bottle any further.
Then, taking a mallet and a dowel, I hammered the cork the rest of the way!
Now the challenge is to get the cork out of the bottle without damaging the cork or the bottle!
This is as close as I got!
However, we can get the cork out with a cloth. By making a cup shape with the cloth, we can tip the cork into the cup shape.
I gently started to pull on the cloth, taking the cork with it. But the cloth had a lot of folds in at and got stuck, so I tried again! This time it was nearly perfect!
I began to pull and the cork was moving along with the cloth….. it took some work..
It released with a big POP and the cork was free!
It even flew across the room!
Pretty cool huh? I would give this a WOW-rating of 5, a solid “let’s do this again!”. By using the cloth to get the cork out, it reduced the friction between the cork and the glass, allowing it to slip out much easier!
Fun science. Now that you know the trick, see if your friends can figure it out. If they can’t, WOW them with your new knowledge. Be safe and have fun!
