Re: Gyroscopes - Usenet Physics FAQ - Reference frames

From: greywolf42 (mingstb_at_marssim-ss.com)
Date: 08/03/04 

Date: Tue, 3 Aug 2004 10:01:46 -0700

"Myxococcus xanthus" <mold-guardian@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:ce5e7813.0408030119.77bb3b25@posting.google.com...
> crynwulf <lyttlec@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:<XzBPc.7076$9Y6.2841@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net>...
>
> > In fact the bicycle does stay upright due to gyroscopic action. When you
> > lean, due to the geometry of the front fork, a torque is applied to the
> > gyroscopic fron wheel. That torque is in a vertical plane perpenduclar
to
> > the direction of travel. When you lean right, the torque causes the
front
> > of the wheel to turn to the right. The action isn't great, but it does
make
> > bikes (and Harleys) easier to ride.
>
> Please do a google search for references to
> Jones, David E.H., "The Stability of the Bicycle", Physics Today (April
1970): 34-40
>
> The gyroscopic contribution to bicycle stability is relatively minor.

As a teenager -- purely as a scientific experiment ;) -- I repeatedly
released an old bicycle to roll down a local hill. Except for the times it
didn't make the turn, it stayed rolling for several hundred yards. That's
hardly minor. 

--
greywolf42
ubi dubium ibi libertas
{remove planet for e-mail}

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Gyroscopes - Usenet Physics FAQ - Reference frames
    ... >> In fact the bicycle does stay upright due to gyroscopic action. ... That torque is in a vertical plane perpenduclar ... When you lean right, the torque causes the ... > The gyroscopic contribution to bicycle stability is relatively minor. ...
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  • Re: Gyroscopes - Usenet Physics FAQ - Reference frames
    ... >> In fact the bicycle does stay upright due to gyroscopic action. ... That torque is in a vertical plane perpenduclar ... When you lean right, the torque causes the ... > The gyroscopic contribution to bicycle stability is relatively minor. ...
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