Dynamics of a yoyo using a smartphone gyroscope sensor

Abstract

The dynamics of a traditional toy, the yoyo, is investigated theoretically and experimentally using smartphone' sensors. In particular, using the gyroscope the angular velocity is measured. The experimental results are complemented thanks to a digital video analysis. The concordance between theoretical and experimental results is discussed. As the yoyo is a ubiquitous, simple and traditional toy this simple proposal could encourage students to experiment with everyday objects and modern technologies.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, typos and added a discussion about classroom implementation