An Instructional Scaffolding for Intuitive Explanation of "Why does not a spinning top collapse?"
Won-Young Hwang
Abstract
"Why does not a spinning top collapse?" is a puzzling question. Standard solution using angular momentum and torque is not intuitive enough. Thus intuitive explanations for the question have been proposed. We provide scaffolding for an intuitive explanation for the question. Accelerated point-masses in the top exert forces on the frame, which balances the effect due to gravity. The explanation is supplemented by the two following points. A more rigorous conceptual framework of the explanation is provided. A full calculation of trajectory is given. Nutation of spinning top is a difficult issue to understand physically. However, the nutation can also be understood by the intuitive explanation. We discuss another intuitive explanation.
Create a lesson
Related papers
Impact of Phase Unwrapping on Multitarget Acoustic Lenses for Transcranial Holography
D. Attali, T. Tiennot, M. Tanter et al.
Harmonic Vector Fields and Betti Numbers in Bounded Three-Dimensional Electromagnetic Domains
Wei Jiang, Jie Liu
Increase of the electromechanical coupling of piezoelectric vibration harvesters through lateral bars
David Gibus, Grégoire Forges, Hélène Debéda et al.
Sliding contact fraction in gravity-driven dense cohesionless granular flows
Patrick Richard, Riccardo Artoni, Clovis Lambert et al.
Contact mechanics and friction of soft materials: an apparatus combining multi-axes dynamical actuation/measurement and in situ/in operando visualisation
Matthieu Guibert, Antoine Aymard, Cristobal Oliver et al.
Plasmonics at radio frequencies
Igor I. Smolyaninov, Quirino Balzano, John Mulholland et al.