gyrosCope segway
laws of motion and energy
Mechanics
principle
Resistant to Change Newton’s First Law of Motion
A
bsent some force acting on it, a ball sitting on the floor will just sit there. A ball rolling along a perfectly frictionless and even surface will likewise continue rolling, in the same direction and at the same speed, indefinitely. Indeed, according to Newton’s first law of motion—more familiarly known as the law of inertia—all objects inherently resist change in their state of motion. A thing at rest remains at rest, and an object in motion keeps moving in the same direction and at the same speed, unless some outside force disrupts it.
Newton’s First Law of Motion
Segway
U
nveiled in 2001, the Segway PT (Personal Transpor ter) is a two-wheeled, self-balancing, electric-powered vehicle designed to mimic the naturalness of walking and turning—and maybe even pausing to smell the roses. Its movement responds to subtle shifts in the user’s body weight forward, backward, and to the side while remaining upright. Riders steer by leaning in the direction they want to go. This balancing act involves a high-tech elaboration on Newton’s law of iner tia. It’s based on five miniature silicon gyroscopic devices coupled with electronic sensors that monitor change in the pitch of the vehicle’s platform in comparison with the inertial movement of the gyroscopes.
>>>>See Also Related Principles: Binary Code, 190 • Electrochemistry, 187 • Electromagnetic Induction, 157 • Law of Conservation of Energy, 30 • Mechanical Advantage, 38 • Ohm’s Law, 164 • Universal Law of Gravitation, 122 Related Applications: Electric Motor, 158 • Flight Stabilizer, 23 • Gyroscope, 21 • Ship Stabilizer, 22
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Newton’s First Law of Motion
gyroscope
J
ust about everyone is familiar with one gyroscopic instrument—the child’s spinning top, developed independently in ancient civilizations around the world. Why does it go on spinning? Inertia. A moving object will persist in its motion, along the same axis, unless a force acts to change or stop it. In 1852 French physicist Léon Foucault created a precision gyroscope and gave the instrument its name, made up of Greek words meaning essentially rotation watcher. While holding his gyroscope cage steady, Foucault showed that the angle of the inner disk’s rotation seemed to change very gradually on its own. In fact it was the frame moving; this was an early demonstration of Earth’s own rotation on its axis. Once in motion, the gyroscope’s inner wheel maintains the orientation of its rotation even as its outer frame is tilted. Because of this, the gyroscope is a tremendously useful tool in setting or maintaining direction in a number of applications, from aircraft navigation to missile guidance to tunnel mining.
gyroscope frame
spin axis
gimbal
rotor
>>>>See Also Related Principles: Law of Conservation of Energy, 30 • Universal Law of Gravitation, 122 Related Applications: Flight Stabilizer, 23 • Segway, 20 • Ship Stabilizer, 22
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Mechanics
principle
Resistant to Change Newton’s First Law of Motion
A
bsent some force acting on it, a ball sitting on the floor will just sit there. A ball rolling along a perfectly frictionless and even surface will likewise continue rolling, in the same direction and at the same speed, indefinitely. Indeed, according to Newton’s first law of motion—more familiarly known as the law of inertia—all objects inherently resist change in their state of motion. A thing at rest remains at rest, and an object in motion keeps moving in the same direction and at the same speed, unless some outside force disrupts it.
Newton’s First Law of Motion
Segway
U
nveiled in 2001, the Segway PT (Personal Transpor ter) is a two-wheeled, self-balancing, electric-powered vehicle designed to mimic the naturalness of walking and turning—and maybe even pausing to smell the roses. Its movement responds to subtle shifts in the user’s body weight forward, backward, and to the side while remaining upright. Riders steer by leaning in the direction they want to go. This balancing act involves a high-tech elaboration on Newton’s law of iner tia. It’s based on five miniature silicon gyroscopic devices coupled with electronic sensors that monitor change in the pitch of the vehicle’s platform in comparison with the inertial movement of the gyroscopes.
>>>>See Also Related Principles: Binary Code, 190 • Electrochemistry, 187 • Electromagnetic Induction, 157 • Law of Conservation of Energy, 30 • Mechanical Advantage, 38 • Ohm’s Law, 164 • Universal Law of Gravitation, 122 Related Applications: Electric Motor, 158 • Flight Stabilizer, 23 • Gyroscope, 21 • Ship Stabilizer, 22
20
Newton’s First Law of Motion
gyroscope
J
ust about everyone is familiar with one gyroscopic instrument—the child’s spinning top, developed independently in ancient civilizations around the world. Why does it go on spinning? Inertia. A moving object will persist in its motion, along the same axis, unless a force acts to change or stop it. In 1852 French physicist Léon Foucault created a precision gyroscope and gave the instrument its name, made up of Greek words meaning essentially rotation watcher. While holding his gyroscope cage steady, Foucault showed that the angle of the inner disk’s rotation seemed to change very gradually on its own. In fact it was the frame moving; this was an early demonstration of Earth’s own rotation on its axis. Once in motion, the gyroscope’s inner wheel maintains the orientation of its rotation even as its outer frame is tilted. Because of this, the gyroscope is a tremendously useful tool in setting or maintaining direction in a number of applications, from aircraft navigation to missile guidance to tunnel mining.
gyroscope frame
spin axis
gimbal
rotor
>>>>See Also Related Principles: Law of Conservation of Energy, 30 • Universal Law of Gravitation, 122 Related Applications: Flight Stabilizer, 23 • Segway, 20 • Ship Stabilizer, 22
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