The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1913-10-17
WHIRLINC BODIES
They Invariably Tend to Point to
the Pole Star.
SCIENCE AND SPINNING A TOP.

SS'h-NSG TN'NO VI liNNlNS ~ ] VI
That the Earth RevoIves on Its Axis
May Be Proved by Simple Expert
nent With the Gyrostat-vPhsnomena
of Rapidly Revolving Objects.
| Spinning a top is not always childs
uyyaIthUugh it has generally been re-
garded as Il juvenile sport. Once in
England top whipping was practically
ordered by law There was huge
top formerly provided in every village
TO he whipped in frosty weather that
the peasants might be kept warm by
the exercise and ont of mischief while
they could not work. Shakespeare in
"Twelfth Night says. His brains
turn like Il parish top" Ben .Tonsou
in New Inn" writes, "iIe spins like
Il parish top" and Beaumont and
| Fletcher have dances like town top
and reels and hobbies" Evelyn, the
ddrist speaking of the uses Of willow
wood. says that ii was ordered that
/ the great town tops should he made
/ thereof"
! or late years. however. science has
taken Il hand in spinning tops with
fruitful results. From spinning tops
we can learn many interesting and
valuable things. For example. we can
prove that the earth rcvOIvpS on its
axis and calculate ut what speed.
The phenomenal of spinning bodies
are extremely interesting. If You throw
your hat into the air. but without spin
ming it. it will fan perhaps on one side
perhaps on tho other, bnt if You give it
spinning motion before sending 1t
into the air II VIII always come down
the same side down as it went up. The
same thing is true of coins and in fact
Of all objects spun in this manner A
knife. if merely thrown into the air,
held point down and sent spinning into
the air it will on falling stick it's point
into the floor invariably.
Other bodies acquire rightly when
spun rapidly, Thus Il piece of chain
if placed ON wheel ana made to re-
voIve rapidly will form perfect circle
ana if thrown or the wheel suddenly
will roll across the table or the floor
just like II solid hoop until its speed is
diminished when it will fail into Il
hnddled mass.
1t is strange fact that spinning
bodies always tend 10 point to the
north star the pole star. Gently. but
firmly. they seem to tug 1T their moor.
ings in an effort to assume the angle
that will point them in that direction.
Once they have attained it they do not
vary.
If. now, You want to prove the rota
ton of the earth li?' means of a spin
ming top you can do so as follows:
Provide yourself with a gyrostat capu-
Bile of being driven by electricity so
that it can run for twenty-four hours
or more without stopping. Set this go
ing and point it to the north or pole
star It will soon assume that direc
ton. Now. rs the axis of the top is
pointed in certain direction tsay the
north wall of the room and stays
there. without ever moving. this will
be guide to You to check off your oh,
ScrNati0nS And MS You watch you will
notice thHt in six hours time the top
will point to the west and six hours |
later to the south. six hours later to |
the east, and mt the conclusion of the
Wruty-fOur hours it will have cOmplet- |
ed the circle and VIII again be point |
ing due north 1t will have completed |
the circuit Of the four walls of the
room.
What does this mean? 1t means that
the room has rcvolvCd round the top. |
but as the room is fixed to the solid |
earth it implies that the whole earth
has revolvcd round the top. which
alone remained stationary. Conse |
qurmtly we have proved by this means
that the eavth has turned once round
on its axis. and that it does so turn.
and that the heavens remain still and
stationary.
Many interesting astronomical dis
cOvcripS have been made by the aid
Of spinning tops. and the facts obtain
ed by their study have been applied to
the rotation Of heavenly bodies, the
earth included. and the "wabble" of its
axis has been calculated by this means
In many ways, therefore, the spinning
top is valuable scientific instrument