Ask A Scientist General Science Archive

Question:
Is it true that you can stand an egg on end at the equinox and it will
balance perfectly?  Does it only work at certain places on the earth 
(like on the equator)?  Why does the egg balance (if it does)?
 qic i seattle

Answer:
There was an article about this in the March 1987 issue of Omni magazine.
Quoting from the Readers' Guide abstract, " Scientists, including
Albert Einstein, have discounted such notions; magician and archskeptic
James Randi claims that the balancing act has more to do with the
nature of the egg, the balancing surface, and the balancer than it does
with the seasons." I've never heard a reasonable explanation offered,
and you'd think there would be other manifestations of something unusual
occurring. But have a look at the article if you can get it.
 rcwinther