Abstract: A toy having three bobs on a string where the middle bob slides. A low moment of inertia of the middle bob is desirable because it minimizes tangling of the string about the middle bob and produces smooth, tactile-appealing orbits. Each bob has a pair of mated throughbore pieces sandwiching a central metal weight and an equatorial bag stuffed with low-density pellets. Concave sections (in profile on a plane along the polar axis) of the throughbore occupy a substantial portion of the length of the throughbore to take best advantage of the torques produced by the string by focusing the tension of the string at the mouths of the throughbore. The concave sections also reduce the volume occupied by the bag, thereby reducing moment of inertia. Additionally, hollows in the concave regions of the throughbore pieces further reduce the moment of inertia.

Abstract: A toy having three bobs on a string where the middle bob slides. A low moment of inertia of the middle bob is desirable because it minimizes tangling of the string about the middle bob and produces smooth, tactile-appealing orbits. Each bob has a pair of mated throughbore pieces sandwiching a central metal weight and an equatorial bag stuffed with low-density pellets. Concave sections (in profile on a plane along the polar axis) of the throughbore occupy a substantial portion of the length of the throughbore to take best advantage of the torques produced by the string by focusing the tension of the string at the mouths of the throughbore. The concave sections also reduce the volume occupied by the bag, thereby reducing moment of inertia. Additionally, hollows in the concave regions of the throughbore pieces further reduce the moment of inertia.

Abstract: A swinging bob toy having three bobs constrained to a string with at least the center bob being slideable along the string. Each bob is modular and consists of two hemispheric elastomeric mantle pieces, a three-component throughbore sheath, and one or two hex nuts mounted on a threaded central component of the throughbore sheath. The two end components of the throughbore sheath are flared and are non-elastomeric, while the threaded central component is elastomeric. The outside ends of the flared end components of the sheath are recessed relative to the mouths of the throughbore so that all exterior impact surfaces of the bob are elastomeric. The string has a circular cross-section and has a width greater than 50% of the width of the narrowest diameter of the throughbore.

Abstract: A swinging bob toy having three bobs constrained to a string with at least the center bob being slideable along the string. Each bob is modular and consists of two hemispheric elastomeric mantle pieces, a three-component throughbore sheath, and one or two hex nuts mounted on a threaded central component of the throughbore sheath. The two end components of the throughbore sheath are flared and are non-elastomeric, while the threaded central component is elastomeric. The outside ends of the flared end components of the sheath are recessed relative to the mouths of the throughbore so that all exterior impact surfaces of the bob are elastomeric. The string has a circular cross-section and has a width greater than 50% of the width of the narrowest diameter of the throughbore.

Abstract: A swinging bob toy having three bobs constrained on a string, the middle bob being slideably constrained between the two end bobs, and at least one of the bobs being reversibly separable into two partial bobs. A wide variety of new tricks and maneuvers are made possible by the separability of the bobs. The two partial bobs have roughly the same weight thereby providing balanced orbits. Each of the two partial bobs slides less easily along the string than a non-separated bob. The two partial bobs have roughly the same diameter along at least one axis thereby allowing visual illusions to be performed.

Abstract: A swinging bob toy having three bobs constrained on a string, the middle bob being slideably constrained between the two end bobs, and at least one of the bobs being reversibly separable into two partial bobs. A wide variety of new tricks and maneuvers are made possible by the separability of the bobs. The two partial bobs have roughly the same weight thereby providing balanced orbits. Each of the two partial bobs slides less easily along the string than a non-separated bob. The two partial bobs have roughly the same diameter along at least one axis thereby allowing visual illusions to be performed.

Abstract: A swinging bob toy having an outer bob and middle bob on a string, with the middle bob having a bore through which the string passes to allow the middle bob to slide along the string. The middle bob has a substantially toroidal, liquid-containing bladder. The mass of the liquid contributes substantially to the overall mass of the middle bob, but the viscosity of the liquid and the dimensions of the bore of the toroid are such that the dynamic moment of inertia (i.e., a moment of inertia dependent on linear and/or rotational velocity and/or acceleration, of a history thereof) is small as the middle bob begins its rotation as the outer bob passes the top of its orbit.

Abstract: A swinging bob toy having an outer bob and middle bob on a string, with the middle bob having a bore through which the string passes to allow the middle bob to slide along the string. The middle bob has a substantially toroidal, liquid-containing bladder. The mass of the liquid contributes substantially to the overall mass of the middle bob, but the viscosity of the liquid and the dimensions of the bore of the toroid are such that the dynamic moment of inertia (i.e., a moment of inertia dependent on linear and/or rotational velocity and/or acceleration, of a history thereof) is small as the middle bob begins its rotation as the outer bob passes the top of its orbit.

Abstract: An edible confection which repeatedly rises and sinks, i.e., “swims,” in a transparent carbonated beverage due to changing buoyancy resulting from the formation of carbonation bubbles on the surface of the confection, and the escape of the bubbles to the atmosphere when the confection reaches the top of the beverage. An edible surfactant is included as a soluble coating on the confection to influence the confection-atmosphere surface tension, confection-beverage surface tension, and/or beverage-atmosphere surface tension such that the surface tension at the top of the beverage does not inhibit or prevent descension of the confection. Preferably, the surfactant is a powdered gelatin. The coating may also include ingredients which promote the solution of the gelatin. Alternatively, for confections having a liquid coating, the viscosity and thickness of the coating are engineered, and/or the underlying surface is roughened to minimize the sliding of carbonation bubbles when the surface is inclined.

Abstract: A swinging bob toy having a middle bob with a non-cylindrically symmetric internal structure. The center of mass is located near the middle of the bore axis, and the percentage azimuthal variation V in the moment of inertia I about an axis in the equatorial plane, given by V=100×[I(&phgr;max)−I(&phgr;min)]/I(&phgr;max), is minimized, for instance by positioning the internal components to produce a weight distribution with n-fold symmetry, where n≧3. In one preferred embodiment, the bobs are equipped with lights powered by on-board batteries. Flat cylindrical batteries are mounted on an equatorial circuit board with their axes of symmetry perpendicular to the bore axis. To allow battery replacement, the top and bottom halves of each bob are removably attached by screw-secured posts parallel to, but offset from, the bore axis. An on/off switch is accessible via a small aperture through a transparent outer shell.

Abstract: A swinging bob toy having a middle bob with a non-cylindrically symmetric internal structure.

Abstract: An edible confection with a recognizable shape which repeatedly rises and sinks, i.e., “swims,” in a transparent carbonated beverage due to changing buoyancy resulting from the formation of carbonation bubbles on the surface of the confection, and the escape of the bubbles to the atmosphere when the confection reaches the top of the beverage. The ability of the confection to ascend and descend is determined by the density, volume and surface area of the confection, and the volume per unit surface area of bubbles which form on the confection. For a thin confection the conditions for ascension and descension are substantially independent of the dimensions other than the thickness. Bubble nucleation is promoted by a surface which is rough on small length scales, and large bubbles can be retained on the surface if the confection is smooth on larger length scales.

Abstract: A swinging bob toy having bobs which are fastened to, or free to slide along a string. The design of the toy provides that: the string will have a lessened tendency to become tangled during operation, the toy will have a smoothness of motion, and be capable of new tricks and maneuvers, the toy will not become tangled during transportation thereof and will be safer to use. The bobs can be made of an edible material or chewing gum. A tubular storage case can be used to store the bob toy.

Abstract: A swinging bob toy having bobs which are fastened to, or free to slide along a string. The design of the toy provides that: the string will have a lessened tendency to become tangled during operation, the toy will have a smoothness of motion, and be capable of new tricks and maneuvers, the toy will not become tangled during transportation thereof and will be safer to use. The bobs can be made of an edible material or chewing gum. A tubular storage case can be used to store the bob toy.