Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[johnm]

ta0's Papyrus page gives the following description for a taped public lecture by a physics professor.

This is a demonstration to the general public by Professor Robert Greenler of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, part of the Science Bag series. Greenler spins part of his top collection, including the famous Malaysian Gasing tops, as well as tops he improvises using fruit, and a truly giant top made out of a car tire filled with water that keeps spinning for the entire hour of the presentation. He uses all of these to teach Newton's first and second laws.

and now thanks to the University of Wisconsin-Milwakee, the average topper can enjoy the lecture.  It is approved for all audiences and is mostly entertaining with some science squeezed in.  It lasts an hour so plan accordingly.



www4.uwm.edu/letsci/sciencebag/videos/flashvid.cfm?file=/letsci/sciencebag/videos/flash/SpinningTop.flv

[ta0]

It is great they now have the videos online. I have that one (it was costly  ) but now I can watch others from the Science Bag series. Prof. Greenler wrote an autobiographical book called Chasing Rainbows. It has a nice section on tops and several sections of optical effects in nature (thus the title) something that at the time I got the book I was even more interested than in tops.  In the spintop section he wonders if most of the friction that stops a top comes from the tip (this was pre-bearing tips) or from the air and he says that one day he wants spin a top in a vacuum bell jar to test it.  He is retired but I have his home address (it is difficult to hide in the internet era  ) and I have meant to send him a snail letter for a while.

I think the first 12 minutes is what everyone on this forum will find interesting and should watch. By the way, this reminds me that we have a contest for videos spinning food . . .

[poptop]

Very nice!  I love the tire top.  Great photos and desc. of Gasing too. 

The explanation of inertia and torque is well made.

[hermityo]

Great find and thank you for putting this up. I have read about this car wheel demonstration by a professor before and here it is. I loved his demonstration of the various tops but would have been very impressed if he had thrown one of those large tin rimmed Malaysian gasing tops. I was lucky enough to buy one in Malaysia a few years ago. I usually throw every top I buy if its not in a packet but I am embarrassed to say that I still haven't gotten around to having a go at this beast (approx 4 kg)

[silvertop]

GREAT!

[jim in paris]

thanx john for this great document !!

prof Greenler is a true stand-up artist

i enjoyed the mime show as much as the fruit vegetable spinning part
the torque and other physics are well demonstrated too

all in all , it's a step further in the science of spin programs : has anyone sent the link to Dale ?

thanx again

jim

ps : how can i save the document itself ?

[ta0]

prof green is a true stand-up artist

The name is Greenler. The first time I found about him was when I read his classic book "Rainbows, Halos and Glories." That was before I had ever thrown a top.  He liked off beat research subjects.  In Chasing the Rainbow he mentions that the paper for which he received the most mail ever was when the took a picture of an infrared rainbow.

I am pretty sure I showed the VHS video to Dale in 2004, the first time he visited.

[Lourens]

I enjoyed myself today very much looking at this lecture! Professor Greenler is an outstandig man I think, not only as a scientist but also as a performer and teacher. The best teachers are those who can make difficult information easy to understand for a large group of people. Thanks very much for showing and sharing it!