GYROSCOPE 



2650 



GYROSCOPE 



in the wheel's plane of rotation with a force 

 many times greater than the weight of the 

 whole apparatus. This resistance to change in- 

 creases with an increase in the speed of ro- 

 tation. The "plane of rotation" in this case 



FIG. 1 



The toy gyroscope, clearly illustrating the prin- 

 ciples of the instrument. 



is an imaginary surface at right angles to the 

 shaft and passing through the center of the 

 wheel. This resistance to changing its plane 

 of rotation is the essential characteristic of the 

 gyroscope. 



The gyroscope was discovered in 1832, but 

 until recent years was little more than a scien- 

 tific curiosity. It has now come into con- 

 siderable use; the most important of its 

 practical applications are the following: 



As a stabilizer for ships to reduce rolling in a 

 rough sea; 



As a stabilizer for automatically balancing 

 aeroplanes ; 



As a balancing device for monorail cars, and, 

 in ;i developing field, for two-wheeled automo- 

 biles, the wheels being arranged as in a bicycle. 



The Gyroscope as a Toy. Gyroscopes in sev- 

 eral sizes can generally be bought in toy shops. 

 Usually an instruction book is given to each 

 purchaser, telling how to make the gyroscope 

 "walk a tight-rope," balance itself on the edge 

 of a tumbler, spin at the end of a string and 

 do many other interesting things. 



Ship Stabilizer. The gyroscope has been 

 successfully used to reduce to slight degree the 

 rolling of ships at sea. Fig. 2 shows the gen- 

 eral arrangement and location of the gyroscope 

 when used for this purpose. The supporting 

 frame is firmly 

 secured to the 

 ship's hull and 

 the wheel is ro- 

 tated by an elec- 

 tric motor, as in 

 all gyroscopes for 

 practical use. 



The weight of a ON SHIPBOARD 



gyroscope for this (o) Gy ^'f pe 2 v> (b) lower 

 purpose should deck, 

 be about Moo of the ship's displacement. 



Aeroplane Stabilizer. Gyroscopes used for 

 this purpose are mounted as shown in Fig. 3, 

 and operate in two ways. One method is to 

 use the resisting power of the gyroscope to 

 overcome any tendency toward tipping. The 



ON AN AIRSHIP 

 (Fig. 3.) 



other is to use a smaller and lighter wheel 

 connected to a series of levers that move the 

 small balancing vanes at the ends of the wings. 

 Balancer for Cars and Automobiles. Pairs of 

 gyroscopes mounted, as in Fig. 4, and rotated 

 in opposite directions have been successfully 

 used to balance railroad cars designed to run 

 on one rail instead of two. The pair of gyro- 

 scopes are arranged to rotate in opposite direc- 



MODEL FOR MONORAIL CAR 



(Fig. 4.) 



tions and are needed to enable the car to turn 

 a sharp corner. Under such circumstances a 

 single gyroscope mounted horizontally would 

 tip the car to the inside of the turn. With 

 two, rotating in opposite directions, this tip- 

 ping tendency is overcome and the car is kept 

 level when turning a corner. A.B. 



