alt.energy.renewable

daestrom wrote:
>
> "Dan Bloomquist" wrote in message
> news:SZ0Bj.5702$Sa1.3110@news02.roc.ny...
>> daestrom wrote:
>>>
>>> If I understand your experiment, you align the shaft parallel to the
>>> earth's at the north pole and then spin up the rotor (let's say same
>>> direction as the earth for argument's sake). The reaction force of
>>> the spin motor will have slowed the earth a tiny amount. But the
>>> interesting part is if we push the top of the shaft to the right it
>>> will precess away from us and we can use this to turn the rotor
>>> upside down. Now, by simply applying a small torque to the right of
>>> the shaft, we have changed the direction of the rotor's momentum by
>>> 180 degrees.
>>>
>>> If we can show that the torque impulse *does* impart 2Lrotor1
>>> momentum to the planet, then your issue of spinning up / inverting
>>> and braking the rotor is closed.
>>
>> I wish I had a gyro to test. As I recall, with one axis of freedom it
>> takes an initial impulse to start the swing and an equal but opposite
>> impulse to stop the movement. So, there is no net torque to account
>> for the 'potential' phenomena. The precession torque to start and stop
>> will be in the same direction but orthonormal to both the other torques!?
>>
>
> I don't *think* it continues to swing from an initial impulse. I think
> it only swings as long as you apply a tiny force (which tries to precess
> against the restraint and the reaction of the restraint causes it to
> precess through another 90 degree angle and that is the direction you
> happen to be pushing).

As I recall, no force at all. The gyro is completely broken from the
ties of precession. And, the math says so. From what googling I've done,
I can't find anything definitive. But I do love a mystery.

> But experimentation would solve the question. If I could get a nice
> gyro.....

Yes. All I could find on ebay are the over priced pot metal toys. My boy
has a fab shop and machine tools. Maybe the next time I visit...

Best, Dan.