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From: mojo@kepler.UUCP (Morris Jones)
Newsgroups: net.cycle
Subject: Re: Need classroom demonstration gyrosc
Message-ID: <578@kepler.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 13-Apr-86 12:37:34 EST
Article-I.D.: kepler.578
Posted: Sun Apr 13 12:37:34 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 17-Apr-86 05:34:31 EST
References: <562@kepler.UUCP> <800011@convexs>
Reply-To: mojo@kepler.UUCP (Morris Jones)
Organization: MicroPro Int'l Corp., San Rafael, CA
Lines: 29

In article <800011@convexs> bobm@convexs.UUCP writes:
>Um, what do gyroscopes have to do with countersteering?
>Countersteering is not related to precession.

Well, you're correct that countersteering is not related to precession,
but it has everything to do with gyroscopes.

There's a different principle of gyroscopics involved.  If you apply
a force to a spinning gyroscope, it will respond by moving in a
direction 90 degrees to the force being applied.  The direction of
movement follows a right-handed cross vector (if I remember my
physics correctly).

Thus if you apply a rotational force to your front wheel as a left
yaw, it responds by rotating with a right roll.

Demonstrating it with a bicycle wheel on handles will be very fun.  Ask
someone to hold the spinning bicycle wheel, and try to turn it to the
left.  The wheel will immediately tilt to the right.  If you really
wanted to yaw the wheel to the left, you'd have to apply force
in the direction of a left roll (er, right roll?  lessee ... thumb,
first finger, aw shoot ... ).

In any event THIS IS WHY COUNTERSTEERING WORKS.

-- 
Mojo
... Morris Jones, MicroPro Product Development
{lll-crg,ptsfa,dual,well,pyramid}!micropro!kepler!mojo