The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1913-12-19
WH|RLINC BODIES
They Invariably Tend to Point to
the Pole Star.
SCIENCE AND SPINNING A TOP.
That the Earth Revoives on Its Aka
May Be Proved by Simple Expert
ment With the Gyrostat-Phenomena
of Rapidly Revolving Objects.

May Be Proved by a Simple Expert
ment With the Gyrostat-Phenomena
of Rapidly Revolving Objects.
Spinning top is not always child's
play, although it has generally been re-
garded as q juv emile sport Once In
England top whipping was practically
ordered by law There was huge
top formerly provided in every village
to be whipped in frosty weather that
the peasants might be kept warm by
the exercise and out of mischief while
they could not work. Shakespeare In
Twelfth Night says, His brains
turn like parish top" Ben Jonson
in New Inn writes, HE spins like
parish top" and Beaumont and
Fletcher have dances like q town top
and reels and hobbies Evelyn, the
diarist. speaking Of the uses of willow
wood. says that 1t was ordered that
'the great town tops should be made
thereof"
OF late years, however. science has
taken a 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 revolves on It's
axis and calculate at what speed.
The phenomena of spinning bodies
are extremely interesting. If you throw
your hat into the air. but without spin
ming it, 1t will fall perhaps on one side,
perhaps on the other but IL you give it
spinning motion before sending IL
into the air it will always come down
the same side down as 1t 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,
may come down at any angle, but IL
held point down and sent spinning into
the air it will on falling stick it's point
! into the floor invariably.
Other bodies acquire rigidity when
spun rapidly Thus a piece Of chain
If placed on a wheel and made to re-
volve rapidly will form perfect circle
and If thrown off the wheel suddenly
will roll across the table or the floor
| just like a solid hoop until its speed Is
diminished when 1t will fall into
| huddled mass.
1t is a strange fact that spinning
bodies always tend to point to the
north star-the pole star Gently, but
| firmly, they seem TO tug at their moor
ings in an effort to assume the angle
| that will point them in that direction.
| Once they have attained ii they do not
vary.
/ If. now, you want to prove the rota-
| ton of the earth by means of a spin
ming top you can do so as follows:
| Provide yourself with a gyrostat capa-
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 1t to the north or pole
star 1t will soon assume that direc-
| ton. Now. as the axis of the top Is
| pointed in a certain direction (say the
north wall OF the room and stays
| there, without ever moving, this will
be guide to you to check off your OBJ
servattons And as you watch you will
| notice that in six hours time the top
| VIII point " the west anu SiA HOuES
| later to the south, six hours later to
| the east. and at the conclusion of the
| twenty-four hours 1t will have complet-
ed the circle and will 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 revolved round the top,
but as the room is fixed to the solid
earth 1t implies that the whole earth
has revolved round the top. which
alone remained stationary. Conse-
quently we have proved by this means
that the earth has turned once round
on its axis, and that 1t does so turn,
and that the heavens remain still and
stationary.
Many interesting astronomical dis
coveries 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 a valuable scientific instrument.
-Hereward Darlington In New York
World.