# This marble rolls uphill.

- Series: [Pause Machines](https://miu.fm/pausemachines.md)
- Published: 2026-11-03
- Page: https://miu.fm/pausemachines/this-marble-rolls-uphill

## Story

This marble rolls uphill.

Two steel rails climb from the lift to the far end, and the big red marble rolls up them on its own. The trick is that the rails also spread apart as they climb. Where they are close the marble sits high on top of them; where they are wide it sinks down between them. The rails rise a little and the marble sinks twice as far, so its centre really goes down the whole way: it is rolling downhill on an uphill track. At the far end it drops through onto the return below, rolls home, and a tipping tray lifts it back to the start. A tin surveyor checks with his level that the rails really do climb. But the wing nut that holds the rails together is working loose.

Every knock and every music-box note is timed by the machine itself.

Stay for the end.

The double cone that rolls uphill is a classic demonstration of physics, centuries old.

Did you see the centre go down?

## Watch

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DfSKDbulWb5/

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© 2026 Miuradio, https://miuradio.com