The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1913-10-07
IVIiiRLINC BODIES
They Invariably Tend to Point to
the Pole Star.
SCIENCE AND SPINNING A TOP.

That the Earth Revoives on Its Axis
May Be Proved by Simple Expert
n1ent With the Gyrostat-Fhenonen
Of Rapidly Revolving Objects.
Spinning top is not always childs
play. although it has generally been re-
-arded as Il Juvenile sport. once in
England top whipping was practically
ordered by law. There was Il huge
top formerly provided i'll every village
to he whipped in frosty weather that
Tie peasants might he kept warm by
til" exercise and out of mischief while
they could not work. Shakespeare in
"TWelfth Night says His brains
turn like Il parish top" Ben IonSon
in New Inn" writes. He spins like
Il parish top" and Beaumont and
Fletcher have dances like a town top
and reels and hobbies" Evelyn. the
diari>t. speaking of the uses Of willow
wood. says that it WAS ordered that
It'll" great town tops should he made
thereof"
OF late wears. however. science has
taken Il band 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 reyoiveS on its
axis ana calcuIatc At what speed.
The phenpmena Of spinning bodies
are extremely interesting. If YOU throw
yn'u hat into the air. but without spin
ming it, it viii fall perhaps on one side
IDcrhHpS on the other. but if YOU give it
spinning motion before sending it
into the air it Will always come down
tie same side down aS it went up. The
same thing is tine Of coins and in fact
If alI objects spun in this manner.
knife. if merely thrown into the air,
may come down at any angle. but if
Ecld point down and sent spinning into
the air it will on falling stick its point
into the floor invariably.
other bodies acquire rigidity when
spun rapidly. Thus piece of chain
if placed on wheel and made to re-
v"lve rapidly will form a perfect circle
ana if thrown off the wheel suddenly
will roll across the table or the floor
inst like solid hoop until its speed IS
Diminished. when it will fall into a
hudllpi mass
II j. Il strange fact that spinning
bodies always tend to point TO the
north >tIr-the pole star. Gently. bat
firmly. they seem to tug at their moor
ines 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. Won want to prove the rOta-
ton Of the earth by means of Il spin
nin- 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 60
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 Il certain direction tsay the
north wall of the rOOm and stays
there. without ever moving. this will
be Il guide to YOU to check off your OBJ
servationS And as You watch YOU will
notice that in six hours time the tor
will point to the west and six hours
later To the south. six hours later to
the east and at the conclusion of the
twent four hours it will have cOmplet-
ed the circle and will again be point
in- 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,