The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1914-01-01
'WIhIRL|NC BODIES.
They Invariably Tend to Point to
the Pole Star.
SCIENCE. AND SPINNING A TOP.

That the Earth Revolves on It's Axis
May Be Proved by Simple Experi-
ment With the Gyrostat-Phenomena
of Rapidly Revolving Objects.
Spinning a top is not always child's
play. although it has generally been re-
garded as juvenile sport. Once in
England top whipping was practically
ordered by law. There was a huge
top formerly provided in every village
70 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 a town top
and reels and hobbies" Evelyn, the
diarist, speaking of the uses of willow
wood. says that it was ordered that
1.-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 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
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 manner. 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 on falling stick it's point
into the floor invariably.
Other bodies acquire rigidity when
spun rapidly. Thus piece Of chain
if placed on a wheel and made tore
volve rapidly will form a perfect circle
and If thrown off the wheel suddenly
will roll across the table or the floor
just like solid hoop until it's speed is
diminished. when it will fall into "a
huddled mass. *Ss@. y a &
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. ~>~,... = - 1
II. now. you want to prove the rota-
| ton Of the earth by means of spin.
| ming top you can do so as follows:
Provide yourself with a gyrostat capa-
BILE Of being driven by electricityaso
| 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. It will soon assume that direc-
| ton. Now. as the axis of the top is
| pointed in 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
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
| the east and at the conclusion of the
twenty-four hours it will have complet-
ed the circle and will again be point
ing due north. It will have completed
the circuit of the four walls of the
| room.
What does this mean? It 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 tc
the rotation. Of heavenly bodies, thf
earth included. and the "wabble' Of til
! axis has been calculated by this means
In many ways. therefore. the spinning
top is a valuable scientific instrument
't-Hereward Darlington in New Yorl
! World. II ~, T. ~. Is,
t& Oriain of Iron Duke. j
The Iron Duke, of course. was Wei
] lington, but he came BY the hickman,
/ in roundabout way. He was snevel
i SO called until long after Waterloo: Al
iron steamship. a novelty at the time
/ was built in the. Mersey and named til