How to Make a Balanced Mobile

A mobile is a kind of sculpture that you hang from a wall or ceiling. You can make mobiles by hanging different shapes and materials from dowel rods and kite string. However, if you do not balance your mobile, it won't look right. Here's how you can balance a simple mobile.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Mobile with different objects
• Small kitchen scale
• Ruler or tape measure
• Calculator or pencil and paper

1. Make sure the strings you tie to your top most rod are the same distance from the middle. Making the strings the same distance apart will make is easy to balance your mobile sculpture.

2. Weigh all of the shapes on the right side of the rod. Then weigh all of the shapes on the left side of the rod. If the two weights are equal the sides of your sculpture will balance.

3. Move on to the next level of your mobile, if there is a split. A split in a mobile is another rod that is placed below the top most rod.

4. Balance your split. When you work with a split, only take the shapes on the same side of your top most rod into account. For example, if the split occurs on the right side of your top most rod, only compare it to other shapes on the same side.

5. Make sure the rod and shapes attached to the rod weigh the same as any other shapes on the same side of the top most rod.

6. Use your ruler and make sure that the string on the right of your split rod is the same distance as the string on the left of your split rod.

7. Weigh all of the shapes on one side of your split rod. Make sure they weigh the same as the shapes on the other side.

8. Continue working down your mobile until you have compared the weight of all of the shapes on each level.