The beauty of science lies in its simplicity. The laws that govern the physics are simplistic and you can really appreciate them if you were able to witness an experiment that was able to demonstrate them perfectly. Andreas Wahl, a Norwegian physicist, is known for such amazing demonstrations of simple laws.
In fact, he is committed to performing experiments that put his life at stake and does so because he believes in the scientific laws and their authenticity. In the latest, jaw-dropping and amazing experiment that he’s performed, he can be seen demonstrating the energy law regarding conservation of energy. According to the law, energy can neither be created nor destroyed.
This is a simple law that almost all of us have gone through and seen the experiments that used a plumb bob or a bowling ball. However, Andreas went one step ahead or maybe a couple hundred and opted for a 1-ton wrecking ball.
The wrecking ball works as a pendulum and the experiment starts with it pressed up against Wahl’s body. It is released and the potential energy gets converted into kinetic energy thus causing the wrecking ball to travel across the room. This kinetic energy converts into potential energy at the other end of the room and then begins to convert again into kinetic energy as the wrecking ball gains momentum and charges towards Wahl.
Can it go wrong? Yes! Because of a variety of factors, Wahl might lean forward from the starting position, the beam could fail or a simple miscalculation could cause his death by a wrecking ball. So what happens? Check out the video below and find out!