I built a neat little gyrostat, to experience the fascinating effects that take place when spinning the gyrostat.
Wikipedia quote on a Gyrostat:
A gyrostat is a variant of the gyroscope. The first gyrostat was designed by Lord Kelvin to illustrate the more complicated state of motion of a spinning body when free to wander about on a horizontal plane, like a top spun on the pavement, or a hoop or bicycle on the road. It consists of a massive flywheel concealed in a solid casing. Its behaviour on a table, or with various modes of suspension or support, serves to illustrate the curious reversal of the ordinary laws of static equilibrium due to the gyrostatic behaviour of the interior invisible flywheel when rotated rapidly.
At the moment it’s more or less a fascinating toy. Nonetheless, the gyrostatic behaviour is widely used, varying from positioning satelites to the functioning of a Nintendo Wii-controller.
