Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1913-10-18
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 Simple Expert
ment With the Gyrostat-Phenomen
Of Rapidly Revolving Objects.
Spinning top is not always child's
play, although it has generally been re
garded as o Juvenile sport. Once in
England top whipping was practically
ordered by law. There was a huge
top formerly provided in every village
10 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 a parish top" Ben Jonson
in New Inn writes, He spins like
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 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 its
axis and calculate ut what speed
The phenomena of spinning bodies
are extremely interesting If you throw
your hat into the air, but without spin
ming =, it will fall perhaps on one side
perhaps on the other. but If you give it
a spinning motion before sending il
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 manner \
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 viii on falling stick its 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 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 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 it they do not
vary
II. 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-f0ur hours
or more without stopping Set this go
ing and point it 10 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 tSay the
north wall of the room ana stays
there. without ever moving this viii
be a guide to you to check off your OBJ
servatious And as you watch you viii
notice that il six hours time the top
viii point to the west and six hours
later to the south. six hours later to
the east and at the conclusion Of the
twenty-four hours it viii 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. ---.,--.r ~ s.,--e,l =,
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 its 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 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