Here is a way how to get hailed as a great conjurer at your next dinner party. You will need a toothpick, two identical forks, a piece of cork (taken from a dutifully drunk bottle of wine) and an empty glass.

First, you will need to insert the two forks in the cork in a symmetrical arrangement (as shown in the picture).

Insert the toothpick at the base of the cylindrical cork. Note that you can consider this as one single extended object.

Balance the toothpick on the rim of the glass. Slide the toothpick back and forth along the rim until you find the perfect balancing point.

Slowly remove your hands and watch this seemingly magic trick. For added fun, get a lighter and burn the end of the toothpick, which is on the inside part of the glass.

The toothpick will burn down to the very edge without toppling over. Your friends will be stunned to silence.

But what is the physics behind this neat little trick? You are able to balance this because of a phenomena called the centre of mass.

The centre of mass is a point representing the mean position of the matter in a body or system.

The centre of mass of your two-fork-cork-toothpick set-up is right below the balancing point of the toothpick. This is only possible if the fork handles extend behind the balancing point (called the pivot point).

This is also the same principle used by tightrope walkers (who carry a pole which functions in the same way as the balancing forks).

For other fun experiments visit: http://www.stevespanglerscience.com