Bike on a wire

How does the exhibit work?

With this exhibition, you'll probably have to queue. The Technopolis employee will put a harness on your body for safety. The staff member will explain what to do. You cycle back and forth on a cable, first backwards and then forwards.

What is the science behind it?

Cycling on a cable at a height of 5.2 metres is a breeze. With this bike, anyway. It remains balanced at all times, even if you skew for a moment. This has everything to do with the centre of gravity.

All objects have a centre of gravity, also known as the centre of mass. This is the point around which the weight of the object (or several objects together) is evenly distributed. An object remains standing if its centre of gravity is exactly above or below the plane on which it rests: the plane of support. Otherwise, it falls over.

At the bottom of this bike hangs a heavy mass, of up to 150 kg. As a result, the centre of gravity, of you + the bike, is below the support surface (the cable). Will you skew? Then gravity pulls the centre of gravity back to its lowest position, exactly below the support surface. And the bike comes back upright!

Centre of gravity with your balance

Don't want to fall over? You keep your balance by making sure your centre of gravity is above your support surface. Your support surface is between your feet.

Centre of gravity when balancing

If you want to balance a basketball on one finger, you need to keep your finger below the centre of gravity. This is located in the centre of the ball.