Egg of Li Chun

The terms Li Chun egg balancing or egg of Li Chun refers to a Chinese folk belief that it is much easier to balance an egg on a smooth surface during Li Chun (the official first day of spring in the Chinese lunar calendar, which usually falls on February 4 or 5), than at any other time of the year. Balancing fresh chicken eggs on their broad end was a traditional Li Chun ritual in China.

This "fact" has come to be widely believed in the United States since 1945, and egg-balancing events are sometimes held on that date cite article | author = Martin Gardner | title = The great egg-balancing mystery | work = Skeptical Inquirer | number = 3 | volume = 20 | month = may-June | year = 1996 [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2843/is_n3_v20/ai_18372128] ] . In fact, the balancing an egg on its broad end is not particularly difficult, at any time of the year.

History

The alleged positive influence of Li Chun on egg balance seems to be very ancient. It is stated, for instance, in the old Chinese books "Secret Kaleidoscope" and "Know What Heaven Knows" .

In 1945 Life Magazine reported on an egg-balancing craze among the population of Chungking, on that year's Li Chun (February 4) [cite article | work = Life Magazine | title = ... | author = Annalee Jacoby | date = March 19, 1945] . That article and its follow-ups started a similar egg-balancing mania in the United States, but transposed to the astronomical vernal equinox (about March 21). Japanese newspapers picked up the story in 1947.

In 1978, New York artist Donna Henes started organizing egg-balancing cerimonies, with the stated goal to bring about world peace and international and harmony [cite article | work = The New Yorker | title = .... | year = 1983] . These events, which often drew thousands of people, were held at least until 1988 .

Physical explanation

As far as science knows, no physical influence of other celestial bodies on the egg can affect its balance as required by the folk belief. Gravitational and electromagnetic forces, in particular, are considerably weaker and steadier than the forces created by the person's hand and breathing.

In 1947, Japanese physicist Ukichiro Nakaya verified experimentally that eggs in fact can be balanced with ease at any time of the year. He noticed that the shell of an egg usually has many small bumps and dimples, so that, by turning the egg in different directions, it can be made to touch a flat surface on three points at once, in many ways. It is not hard to find an orientation such that the triangle spanned by the three contact points lies right under the egg's center of mass, which is the condition for balancing any object [cite book | title = Egg of Li Chun (立春の卵) | author = Ukichiro Nakaya] . Of course, balancing an egg on a rough surface is easy too, for the same reason.

Martin Gardner also observed that "if you are convinced that an egg will balance more easily on a certain day you will try a little harder, be more patient, and use steadier hands. If you believe that eggs won't balance on other days, this belief is transmitted subconsciously to your hands", and compares the process to the "Ouija-board phenomenon" .

References

ee also

* Egg of Columbus (mechanical puzzle)
* Easter egg
* Superegg