💫A 40-pound flywheel on a meter-long shaft is spun up to a few thousand RPM.
🌪️Despite its weight, the spinning wheel becomes weightless when held horizontally.
💪The experimenter successfully lifts the spinning flywheel over his head with ease.
🧠The phenomenon is explained by gyroscopic precession, where the weight of the wheel creates a torque that keeps it rotating.
⚖️When the experimenter lifts the wheel, his weight increases due to the additional weight of the flywheel.
How does the spinning wheel become weightless when held horizontally?
—The weight of the spinning wheel creates a torque that pushes it to move in a circular motion, defying gravity and giving the illusion of weightlessness.
What is gyroscopic precession?
—Gyroscopic precession is a phenomenon in which a spinning object experiences a change in its orientation when a torque is applied.
Is it difficult to lift the heavy flywheel when it's not spinning?
—Yes, it requires a significant amount of force to lift the flywheel when it's not spinning. It feels heavy and requires effort.
Why does the spinning flywheel feel lighter when lifted?
—The gyroscopic effect reduces the apparent weight of the spinning flywheel, making it feel lighter when lifted.
How does the torque created by the weight of the flywheel keep it rotating?
—The torque created by the weight of the flywheel acts perpendicular to the rotational motion, causing the flywheel to keep rotating.
00:01The University of Sydney built an incredible apparatus: a 40-pound flywheel on a meter-long shaft.
00:19Holding the flywheel horizontally is impossible due to its weight.
01:12When the flywheel is spun up to a few thousand RPM, its weight seems to disappear, defying gravity.
01:37The experimenter successfully lifts the spinning flywheel over his head with one hand.
02:50The flywheel feels incredibly light when lifted, thanks to the gyroscopic effect.
03:34The experimenter discusses the difference in weight when lifting the spinning flywheel vs. the non-spinning flywheel.
04:08The experimenter attempts to lift the spinning flywheel while standing on a scale to measure the change in weight.
05:23The experimenter invites viewers to make a prediction about the scale reading when lifting the spinning flywheel.
