Grab Your Brooms!

[Magik-Waffle]

It's the fall equinox, and you know what that means! Due to the moon's position in the sky or some crap like that, for the next few hours only this year you can grab a hard-bristled broom and balance it vertically on a hard, level surface! This only works during the equinox (which is tonight), so join in on the fun by balancing brooms! Go to Home Depot, take all the brooms off the shelves, and watch customers be amazed as you balance the brooms vertically on the floor! This won't work in a couple of days, so do it now!

[Blush]

I want to test this out although i don't feel like looking like a retard D:

[PutusSolers]

WOAH! for real ?? :O

[BabiesAteMyDingo]

At 11/3/09 08:41 PM, Blush wrote: I want to test this out although i don't feel like looking like a retard D:

This is how I feel... I'm going to Google this, I wonder if it's true?

[STEM]

Assuming the broom's bristles are flat, I can balance a broom vertically any day of the year. Doesn't really have much to do with the sun's alignment to the equator :/

[Magik-Waffle]

At 11/3/09 08:49 PM, STEM wrote: Assuming the broom's bristles are flat, I can balance a broom vertically any day of the year. Doesn't really have much to do with the sun's alignment to the equator :/

That's the thing. One, I doubt you can. Two, the bristles don't have to be flat. Three, if you do it today, it's way easier than any other day. And you can balance the broom for hours, which you can't do on any day of the year (if you even can get it to balance at all).

[Jackdabomb]

Awesome, I guess I'll have to stop flying on it first give me a sec.

[STEM]

At 11/3/09 08:51 PM, Magik-Waffle wrote: That's the thing. One, I doubt you can. Two, the bristles don't have to be flat. Three, if you do it today, it's way easier than any other day. And you can balance the broom for hours, which you can't do on any day of the year (if you even can get it to balance at all).

If you'd like to source where you're getting this myth-gone-reality, please share. The myth arose because people thought "equinox" had something to do with the alignments of the planets in our solar system, which is false. They then assumed that the planets would cause a gravitational shift on Earth, causing things to stand upright, such as brooms. The planets in fact have no effect on our gravity here on Earth, the equinox only states the position of the sun, and the "broom" story is left as a myth. Considering how many people believe everything they hear, of course they'll believe this broom story. And they believe it too, because the only time in their lives that they actually balance a broom is when they hear about the equinox myth.

[Cybersief]

Well. There is a similar CNN news report from August 28th, 2009... But that doesn't explain it. So, yes. It is a true trick. Here's a written news report about the same story a day before the video. And another.

The comments on this page discuss the story.

This guy answers the question generally, not relating to the story.

And, here's a forum site that discusses it and answers it.

So pretty much... It's fake. Nothing to do with the planets. These closed minded people contacted the news for publicity and insisted it was something holy. It's just a physics trick. I'm not gonna get a physician to explain it, but you can do it with most brooms. My personal explanation is that the bristles are in mass amounts putting a surface area on the floor that makes it practically a solid surface on the bottom, as if the bristles were covered with a block of plastic. Hard to explain, but since there are so many bristles on the bottom of a broom, it acts as a solid surface. At least what I think.

Have fun.

[Magik-Waffle]

At 11/3/09 09:00 PM, Cybersief wrote: Well. There is a similar CNN news report from August 28th, 2009... But that doesn't explain it. So, yes. It is a true trick. Here's a written news report about the same story a day before the video. And another.

The comments on this page discuss the story.

This guy answers the question generally, not relating to the story.

And, here's a forum site that discusses it and answers it.

So pretty much... It's fake. Nothing to do with the planets. These closed minded people contacted the news for publicity and insisted it was something holy. It's just a physics trick. I'm not gonna get a physician to explain it, but you can do it with most brooms. My personal explanation is that the bristles are in mass amounts putting a surface area on the floor that makes it practically a solid surface on the bottom, as if the bristles were covered with a block of plastic. Hard to explain, but since there are so many bristles on the bottom of a broom, it acts as a solid surface. At least what I think.

Have fun.

My uncle went through a department store and stood brooms up of all shapes and sizes. I have one standing in my kitchen that's been like that for hours, and the bristles climb up at 45 degrees, so the handle of the broom isn't even standing up straight, but it's still balancing. You're saying all of this is possible on any day of the year?

[Rabid-Animals]

Snopes'd.

Okay, it's about eggs. You get the idea.

[Welbanks]

At 11/3/09 09:43 PM, Magik-Waffle wrote:

. You're saying all of this is possible on any day of the year?

Yes.

Asians can stack bowling balls ya know....