tippetop.mpg

Tippe top movie in slow motion.
The motion of a tippe top is wonderful. The important thing to notice is that the contact with the table is sliding. This means that friction causes a couple which causes the spinning top to precess. The axis of spin therefore lifts up. When the shaft meets the table it too is sliding and friction here has a bigger lever arm so the precessio is faster. The top then jumps up very quickly. So it all comes down to gyroscpoc precesson. For more on gyroscopes see http://www2.eng.cam.ac.uk/~hemh/gyroscopes.htm

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• tippetop
• gyroscope
• slow
• motion