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Debunking the #BroomChallenge: Why you can make a broom stand on its own any day of the year

Posted at 8:17 AM, Feb 11, 2020
and last updated 2020-02-11 08:26:09-05

A new challenge is sweeping the internet, quite literally.

Social media was inundated on Monday with posts about the #BroomChallenge that contained an alleged post for NASA claiming that February 10, 2020 was the only day a broomstick would be able to stand on its own because of something to do with "gravitational pull."

While the alleged NASA tweet doesn't exist, the broom challenge isn't entirely a lie.

The truth is, anyone can make a broom stand up on its own today, tomorrow or any day of the year.

The "challenge" has nothing to do with the gravitational pull of the Earth or anything tied to a certain day of the year or century. It's all about balance and patience.

The basis of the #BroomChallenge was likely along the same lines as the #EggChallenge. The center of gravity is quite low on a broom, which means anyone can make a broom stand up if they try hard enough — any day of the year.

The same science works with eggs — the longer an egg stands upright, the yoke will settle on the bottom and lower the egg's center of gravity and allow it to stand upright.

But it's still a fun challenge — and dozens of people tried it out Monday.

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I still don’t understand this......

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This story was originally published by Katie Cox on WRTV in Indianapolis.