Gyroscope

How does the exhibit work?

Sit down on the green surface. As you move the saddle up and down, the disc will start spinning under you.

What is the science behind it?

If you lift up or lower the rotating flywheel, you too starting turning round on the platform. Why is that?

The flywheel is a gyroscope: an object that turns rapidly around its axis, like a spinning top. It tends to keep turning at the same speed and in the same direction. We call this “the law of the conservation of angular momentum”.

If you lift up or lower the flywheel, it opposes this change. It pushes back, so you turn round.

Gyroscope with frisbees

Do you play with a frisbee sometimes? If so, you’ll have noticed that it’s important for your frisbee to spin rapidly when you throw it. If it spins slowly, it wobbles in the air. But what if it spins quickly? Then it flies nice and smoothly. That’s because the frisbee is actually a gyroscope. It wants to keep turning in the same direction and opposes tilting.

Gyroscope in smartphones

There is a gyroscope in your smartphone, too. It can turn in every direction. It operates as a very precise motion sensor. Handy if you want to play games! Are you racing and you turn your mobile slightly to steer? Then your car in the game turns as well.