1 research outputs found
'It Has to Go Down A Little, In Order to Go Around'- Following Feynman on the Gyroscope
In this paper we show that with the help of accessible, teaching quality
equipment, some interesting details of the motion of a gyroscope, typically
overlooked in introductory courses, can be measured and compared to theory. We
begin by deriving a simple relation between the asymptotic dip angle of a
gyroscope released from rest and its precession velocity. We then describe an
experiment which measures these parameters. The data gives excellent agreement
with the model. The idea for this project was suggested by the discussion of
gyroscopic motion in The Feynman Lectures on Physics. Feynman's conclusion
(stated in colloquial terms and quoted in the title) is confirmed and, in
addition, conservation of angular momentum, which underlies this effect, is
quantitatively demonstrated.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure