witchcraft

next time you eat peanut M&Ms spin one like a top it should flip up so it spinning on its skinny axis... and there you have why I became a physicist. For years that boggled my mind and was a frequent party trick. I didn't solve it until my first year as a graduate student in Classical Mechanics.

Man I miss that professor. Half of me wishes I could get him to tape his lectures. They were so clear. Seriously, it was amazing. He could have taught a monkey quantum field theory. I had him as an undergrad and hated it. He made things so incredibly clear that they were boring.

It wasn't until I learned hard things that appreciated a teacher who explained things 3 different ways and only focused on a couple topics.

Eric Laithwaite's BBC Christmas lecture is about all about gyroscopes and quite interesting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnNUTOxHoto (there are 6 more parts).

Of course, his conclusions are all wrong, but it's still a neat lecture.

I have a gyroscope like that. I have no idea where it is though.

>> ^MycroftHomlz:
next time you eat peanut M&Ms spin one like a top it should flip up so it spinning on its skinny axis... and there you have why I became a physicist. For years that boggled my mind and was a frequent party trick. I didn't solve it until my first year as a graduate student in Classical Mechanics.
Man I miss that professor. Half of me wishes I could get him to tape his lectures. They were so clear. Seriously, it was amazing. He could have taught a monkey quantum field theory. I had him as an undergrad and hated it. He made things so incredibly clear that they were boring.
It wasn't until I learned hard things that appreciated a teacher who explained things 3 different ways and only focused on a couple topics.


SO? Tell us why it works!

*dumb eyed look*

There is absolutely nothing conservative about angular momentum. It is science! Now.. if they were to explain that Jesus' magical finger kept it spinning. Then that would be conservative!

Pfbt!