Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1913-11-13
WHiRLINC BODIES
They Invariably Tend 10 Point to
the Pole Star.
SCIENCE AND SPINNING A TOP.
That the Earth Revolves on Its Axis
May Be Proved by a Simple Expert
ment With the Gyrostat-Phenomena
of Rapidly Revolving Objects.

OF ndpICly HSVOlVIHQ oOJGCIS.
Spinning a top is not always child's
play. although it has generally been re-
garded rs a juvenile sport. Once in
England top whipping was practically
ordered by law. There was a huge
top formerly provided in every village
to be whipped in frosty weather that
the peasants might De kept warm by
the exercise and out of mischief while
they could not work. Shakespeare in
Twelfth Night" says. His brains
turn like q parish top" Ben Jonson
in New Inn" writes. He spins like
a parish top" and Beaumont and
Fletcher have dances like a town top
and reels and hobbies" Evelyn, the
diarist. speaking Of the uses Of willow
wood. says that it 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. it will fall perhaps on one side,
perhaps on the other. but if you give it
a spinning motion before sending it
into the air it will 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 name A
knife. If merely thrown into the air.
may come down at any angle, but if
held point down and sent spinning into
the air it will IN falling stick its point
into the floor invariably.
Other bodies acquire rightly when
spun rapidly. Thus a piece Of chain
if placed on a wheel and made to re-
volve rapidly will form a 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 it will fall into a
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 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 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 it to the north or pole
star 1t will soon assume that direc-
ton. Now. as the axis of the top is
pointed in d certain direction tsay the
there. without ever moving. this will
be a guide to you to check off your OBJ
servations And as you watch you will
notice that in six hours time the top
will point to the west and six hours
later to the south. six hours later to
LhC SuSI. ANU at Iuc SOllSluSlOu VI llS
twenty-four hours it 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 it 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 it's axis. and that it 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 it's
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.