This Weird Design Quirk is CRIMINALLY Underutilized as a Play Feature in LEGO Sets
This is why I love physics so much.
A long time ago I noticed something super weird with LEGO pieces... when you twist them, they shoot off of each other. I couldn't explain it then, though. But now I decided to take another spin at explaining what I saw on the LEGO Star Wars 2021 Imperial Marauder. It has to do with deformation and pressure, the independence of the x and y components of force vectors (specifically the normal force), and the fact that static friction is stronger than kinetic friction. I explain it using as little complicated vocabulary as possible, though. No Greek letters in this video!
And, this play feature thing that you get with this weird bit of LEGO physics doesn’t just have to apply to LEGO Star Wars… but really any theme, any set, any MOC (I’d especially love to see what @ForgedinLego could make with this). Anything that uses LEGO bricks, LEGO pieces, can utilize the science here!
But, if you’re wondering what that feature is, it’s rotating LEGO bricks. When you spin or twist a LEGO piece (and when it’s able), the stud gets squeezed out. So yeah, it’s just a stud-squeezing thing that shoots bricks around. This is a play feature that is just too fun!
00:00 Intro
00:30 Demonstration
02:30 The Science
04:20 Static Versus Kinetic Friction
05:09 Walkthrough with Diagrams
06:30 Potential Play Features?
08:03 Outro