Artificial Gyroscopes

Artificial Gyroscopes

The first artificial gyroscopes were probably made by the Chinese and are what we call nowadays spinning tops. The friction trouble was overcome to some extent by giving the top a sharp, hard point which could rest on a flat, hard table and this allowed the top to spin for a long time. The spinning top shows all the peculiarities of the natural gyroscope.

It keeps its axis pointing in a constant vertical direction, unless it is leaning out of the vertical, in which case it describes a cone just as the earth does, but with a much quicker motion. This precession is again caused by a coupling of two forces, the force of gravity pulling the top downward and the pressure of the table upward on the point. If the top leans, the two forces are not in line.