What to do for fun

Tums stacking

Here is a way to stack 32 disks into an impressive feat of balancing. Use disks with flat, square edges. The thickness of the disks should be about 1/4 of their diameter. Other ratios can be used with perhaps some changes to these instructions. Some checkers are the right size. Tums anti acid tablets are my favorite. Even plastic soda bottle caps can be used but with some difficulty.

Start with four disks on edge. All diagrams are for a view from above. Use something like flat toothpicks to temporarily keep the disks from rolling.

Then add layers, starting by centering 4 disks laid horizontally one on top of each on edge checker.

Stagger the next layer of 4 as bricks are staggered.

When 5 layers are done, the toothpicks can be removed. More disks can be stacked on top at the center. A set of 32 checkers can be used.

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