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Fun with gravity clock

 Clock featuring flying metal balls
 
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In a large lobby or other area with high ceilings, mount a hopper on the ceiling that will release a metal ball every second. The ball will fall onto a curved track which will redirect it back upwards. The ball will then arc gracefully across the room and land in a container hanging from a large produce scale. The face of the scale is marked in hours and minutes instead of pounds.
—Caliburn149, Apr 09 2004


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Annotation:







       How do you propose to transfer 43,200 metal balls back to the hopper between 12:59:59 and 01:00:00?
—benjamin, Apr 10 2004
   

       use 2 sets of balls?
—po, Apr 10 2004
   

       Hmmm. Have the hopper connected to another scale, and when the hopper is empty, the assembly will lower and the full hopper/scale will raise up and send the balls back.
—Caliburn149, Apr 10 2004
   

       //43,000 metal balls//
No, more like 3,600 metal balls
(Later) no, you where corect...
—my-nep, Apr 10 2004
   

       I like it. Would probably make quite a racket, depending on the size of the balls. (WTAGIPBAN)
—krelnik, Apr 10 2004
   

       what happens to the timing of the thing whilst the full hopper/ scale thing is raising up to send the balls back?
—sporn, Apr 10 2004
   

       what if i throw tennis balls at it?
—alc, Apr 11 2004
   

       Honey, What time is it?   

       Not sure, sweetie, let me stand up and... *WHACK*   

       <dazed and confused> Damn, I gotta get a new clock.. <dac>   

       [+] I like this one.
—zigness, Apr 11 2004
   

       You'll have to make sure you know which clock (scale)to look at for the time. One of them will be traveling forward in time (as it collects the balls), and the other backwards (as it releases the balls), which could get very confusing around midnight, 6 am, noon, and 6 pm... but i think its a great idea anyhow. bun
—luecke, Apr 11 2004
   

       I'm not so sure this is worth the trouble to make, but a cascade of dazzling balls on the hour would be a public spectacle I'd enjoy.
—dpsyplc, Apr 12 2004
   

       I'm so happy the title wasn't 'fun with balls clock.'
—RayfordSteele, Apr 12 2004
   

       If some of the balls were colored you could run a very effective lottery at the same time.   

       "$5 says the pink ball comes out at 15:31:22."
—Zanzibar, Apr 12 2004
   


 

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