A bicycle wheel is suspended from the ceiling. After spinning it very quickly and held horizontal, the wheel will process around the center string despite gravity pulling it down. This is due to the angular momentum and torque on the wheel.
* Equipment seen in the video may vary from equipment used in ND Demonstrations. See information and images below for ND equipment and setup.
Setup:
Hang the bicycle wheel from the hooks in the ceiling.
Hold the axle and use the dremel to spin the wheel. After a few seconds, hold the wheel horizontal and release it.
The wheel precesses as it spins.
Notes:
Be sure to clear the area around the hanging wheel so that it has room to move.
Courses Used In:
PHYS 10111
PHYS 10310
PHYS 10410
PHYS 20454
PHYS 30210
Discussion and Polling Questions:
Why does the wheel take so long to move downward?
Will the precession go in the same or opposite direction of the spin of the wheel? (This can be asked after the inital demo since they probably weren't paying too much attention to the directions of spin)
Will this work if both sides of the wheel are held up by a string?
Equipment Needed:
Bicycle Wheel with White Wooden Stand
Rope
Dremel