Mechanics/Dynamics/Motion

Particle Accelerator

The bowl is rocked from side to side to make the ball spiral around inside. With the right rhythm, the ball will move faster and faster. With each well-timed rock of the bowl, a small amount of energy is added to the ball. As the ball becomes more and more energetic, it climbs higher up the side of the bowl. A similar technique is used in real particle accelerators, devices that speed up tiny bits of matter with repeated small boosts of energy. By accelerating and then colliding particles, physicists discover and study subatomic particles and the forces that govern them.