Education Gyroscope Apparatus

A base unit supports a gimbal frame, holding a gyroscope assembly that spins and processes under a clear dome. The rotor of an electric motor shares a horizontally supported shaft with a flywheel, forming the gyroscope. A second electric motor turns a belt that turns a turntable under the gyroscope, causing precession about a vertical axis. Both motors work in clockwise and anticlockwise rotation and with variable velocity. Sensors measure the rotational velocity of the rotor and precession.

A sensor measures the gyroscopes up or down tilting force at a known distance from the gyroscope pivot. This allows calculation of the torque or ‘gyroscopic couple’. The clear dome includes an interlock that shuts off power to the motors. This allows students to see the gyroscope and use it in safety while still giving them access to examine the mechanism.