[Illustration: FIG. 2.--EXPERIMENT ON THE ELASTICITY OF BODIES.]
Mould a piece of fresh bread with the fingers so as to give it the size
and shape shown in Fig. 2. If this object be placed upon a wooden table,
and a hard blow be given it with the fist, it will be found impossible to
put it permanently out of shape. However hard be the blow, the elastic
material, although flattened for an instant, will always resume its
original form. If the object be thrown on the floor with all one's might,
the result will be the same; its elasticity will always cause it to
spring back to its original form. The experiment will only succeed when
the bread that is used is very fresh and soft.
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