Jacob's Ladder

Tilt the top panel a half turn. It tilts forwards ever other time and backwards every other time. Feel which way it is tilting right now. Release the panel.

Releasing the panel starts a chain reaction where the panels appear to change places. The panels are interconnected, and if you look closely you can see that the two panels in each colour are attached in slightly different ways. They are held together with a linkage system. Linkage transfers motion.

Linkage in mechanisms usually consists of rods, but in this experiment using falling wooden panels, the linkage is made of tape. Linkage is also used in windscreen wipers, umbrellas and pedal bins.