W. B. D WIGHT. 69 



Guy Vassar, has clone himself a pleasure which he can 

 never regret, in doing this society a lasting service. AVe 

 shall owe him a still greater debt of gratitude if his lib- 

 erality shall inspire others to come to our aid by their 

 munificence. 



NOVEMBER 7, 1883— FOURTEENTH STATED MEETING. 



Prof. W. B. D wight, chairman, presiding ; thirteen 

 members and twelve guests present. 



The following is an abstract of a paper read, on the 



GYROSCOPE. 



BY C. B. WARRING, PH.D. 



This is a very curious instrument, or rather it is a sim- 

 ple little instrument which behaves in a very curious 

 manner, apparently violating the law of gravitation. 



The instrument consists of a small disk, or wheel, 

 moving freely on an axis which itself is supported by 

 a ring going around the disk and axis both. On one 

 side of the ring, close by one end of the axis, is a small 

 projection or lug. The wheel is set going like a top, by 

 a string wound around one arm of the axis, and then 

 pulled as fast as possible. The wheel revolves very 

 rapidly, perhaps thirty times in a second. So far there 

 is nothing strange, but if one takes the thing in his 

 hands and tries to turn it, it seems to be suddenly en- 

 dowed with remarkable powers of resistance. There 

 seems to be something uncanny about it. If now, while 

 yet rapidly rotating, the lug (in the under side of which, 

 by the way, there is a small round depression) be placed 

 on a pointed standard, the instrument will keep itself out 

 straight (horizontal) in the air and begin to revolve 

 slowly around the point, always going in the opposite 

 direction from that of the upper side of the disk. At 

 the same time it drops very slowly — one-tenth of an inch 



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