Our world may have to obey the laws of physics, but when it comes to understanding or even recognizing those laws, most of us are probably a bit rusty. A suite of home objects from Italian design collective Acquacalda puts physics on display, making good use of these unavoidable laws.

The objects are known collectively as Applied Physics. They operate on the basic laws of physics to accomplish the tasks that most of us engage in nearly every single day. Above, a device called One For All, All For One measures out perfectly equal portions of wine to four glasses using the Pascal Principle.

Archimedes’ Scale operates on the principle of buoyancy, submerging part of its body up to the appropriate line to measure the dry ingredients within.


Vasco and Communicating Vase both keep flowers alive and fresh using the Principle of Communicating Vessels. This principle states that the liquid levels in two “communicating” containers will stay at equal levels in both. By making use of this principle, these vessels keep potted flowers and cut flowers supplied with fresh water.

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Finally, the Mix In Glass uses physics to perform a highly important task: mixing cocktails. The Atmospheric Pressure principle is put into use here: each ingredient is mixed by inserting a drinking straw into a container and putting a finger over the straw’s opening to hold the liquid inside. Then the straw is inserted into a hole in the top of the glass and the liquid released. When repeated over and over, the perfect amount of each ingredient can be added to the glass. The lid can then be removed and the vessel used to drink the resulting cocktail.