Naked Science Forum

On the Lighter Side => Science Experiments => Topic started by: raghusesha on 22/08/2010 15:36:50

Title: Principle of Bicycle/top same as gyroscope?
Post by: raghusesha on 22/08/2010 15:36:50
Is the principle of bicycle or top (being more stable when the wheel is rotating or top is rotating) same as the principle of gyroscope?  Or is it something else?
Title: Principle of Bicycle/top same as gyroscope?
Post by: tommya300 on 23/08/2010 00:06:35
Quote from: raghusesha on 22/08/2010 15:36:50
Is the principle of bicycle or top (being more stable when the wheel is rotating or top is rotating) same as the principle of gyroscope?  Or is it something else?

I always thought it was gyro but I am wrong here.

http://www2.eng.cam.ac.uk/~hemh/gyrobike.htm
Title: Principle of Bicycle/top same as gyroscope?
Post by: imatfaal on 23/08/2010 17:32:35
Cool link - thanks Tommy
Title: Principle of Bicycle/top same as gyroscope?
Post by: Geezer on 23/08/2010 18:07:13
We beat this one to death last year.

http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=25419.0
Title: Principle of Bicycle/top same as gyroscope?
Post by: tommya300 on 23/08/2010 18:26:37
Quote from: Geezer on 23/08/2010 18:07:13
We beat this one to death last year.

http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=25419.0

This is the shake 'n' bake one, and I helped.   [B)]

I learned from this
Title: Principle of Bicycle/top same as gyroscope?
Post by: tommya300 on 23/08/2010 18:47:45
Quote from: imatfaal on 23/08/2010 17:32:35
Cool link - thanks Tommy

You are welcome Mat!

I was just wondering if 2 extra wheels  were mounted on each side, equal weight and balanced, axles at the level of the handle bars. Having the axles  offset from the front and back wheels and duplicate  the test spinning the free gyro wheels. But this time  push the bicycle forward with no rider.
Would it exibit some stability?
Title: Principle of Bicycle/top same as gyroscope?
Post by: imatfaal on 24/08/2010 11:59:23
A light bike with fast spinning auxiliary wheels - I could see that working.  Will dredge the memory banks and see if I could do a back of the envelope calc to approximate.

Of Course, would be easier to mount the extra wheels a little bit lower, so they touched the ground; hey presto your bike is stable in all normal circumstances (although it is now a tricycle or quadracycle)

Matthew