Phoebe and Her Unicorn by Dana Simpson for September 06, 2020

“Hey! There’s a girl on a swing floating in mid air! How does she do that?!”

Actually, just have Marigold release her hold on the swing, and that might happen.

Marigold, you show-off (you are welcome).

If Nickelodeon cartoons taught me anything, swinging over the bar gives you inside-out powers.

Up up and aWAY-Y-Y-Y, in her beautiful, her beautiful swing-seat.

What a thoughtful friend you are, Marigold.

You can, but it’s more difficult if not indeed impossible with chains or other flexible links between the seat and the pivot.

MythBusters covered this back in the day! It was definitely (more) possible with a rigid-bar swing. Look up “MythBusters 360 degree swing”

Phoebe: “I always wondered what they feel when astronauts fly a rocket into orbit”.

Marigold: “Hang on to something…”

At least is safe.

When I was a kid this was a real fear when I started swinging too much.

“Only Gladys Kravitz would find it odd”

What “Gladys Kravitz”?

We had a swing set in our backyard when I was a kid, and I can confirm that it is possible to swing hard enough to go above the bar. But the few times I did it, it was very frightening, because you’re so high up and it’s a long way down to the cold, hard ground. It also takes a while to slow down enough to stop.

It is possible to swing above the bar. Centrifugal force keeps you in the seat and the chains tight. At the top of the arc, you fall straight down until the chains tighten instead of resuming the arc.

Everything’s better with a unicorn

That reminds me of this: https://xkcd.com/942/

y’know, no one would notice because of the curse of the unicorn adjacent. Like if you remember it. In my opinion, you are a true fan if you do.

No one would notice because of the curse of the unicorn adjacent. Like if you remember it. In my opinion you are a true fan if you do.

Mythbusters showed you can’t do it under your own power on a chain swing (but you can on a rigid one).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=torrlSW6VnA