SCIENCE ANSWER: Wind (natural) and weight (artist-made). Sir Isaac Newton's first law of motion is: A body at rest remains at rest and a body in motion remains in motion, in theabsence of an unbalanced force.George Rickey's sculpture is at rest until air currents force it to move. Many viewers think a motor moves the squares, but the wind starts the movement and then a weight within each of the stainless steel squares counter-balances the force of the wind. Even before George Rickey, Alexander Calder was a master at incorporating the laws of motion into his delicately balanced kinetic (moving) sculptures. Borrow the TRC's video on Calder to show students. Have students experiment with creating balanced kinetic sculptures that respond to air currents. |