======Bicycle Wheel Gyroscope======


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**Materials: **{{$demo.materials_description}}\\
**Difficulty: **{{$demo.difficulty_description}}\\
**Safety: **{{$demo.safety_description}}\\
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**Alternative titles:** Angular Momentum with a Bicycle Wheel
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====Summary====                   
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====Procedure====  
  - Attach handles to each side of a bicycle wheel’s axle.  
  - Sit on a low-friction stool or chair and hold the wheel by the handles.  
  - Have a partner spin the wheel as fast as possible.  
  - Lift your feet off the floor and tilt the wheel to one side—the stool will begin to rotate.  
  - Tilt the wheel in the opposite direction and notice the stool’s motion.  
  - Optional: Mount a screw eye in the handle and hang the spinning wheel from a rope or chain. Release it with the axle horizontal, and watch as the wheel slowly moves in a circle while staying level.



====Links==== 
Dramatically Demonstrate Angular Momentum | Deluxe Bicycle Wheel Gyroscope - Arbor Scientific: 
{{youtube>eB5gWeqRNOQ?}}\\

Bicycle Wheel Gyroscope - MIT Physics Demo: 
{{youtube>8H98BgRzpOM?}}\\

📄 Bicycle Wheel Gyro - Exploratorium: [[https://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/bicycle-wheel-gyro]]\\


====Variations====
  * Try the activity without sitting on a stool—just hold the wheel and feel how it resists tilting.  
  * Spin the wheel in the opposite direction and compare the results.



====Safety Precautions====
  * Make sure the stool or chair is stable and won’t tip over.  
  * Keep fingers away from the spinning spokes (use spoke guards if available).  
  * Only spin the wheel as fast as can be safely controlled.



====Questions to Consider====
  * Why does the stool turn when you tilt the spinning wheel? (Because the wheel’s angular momentum changes direction, and conservation of momentum causes the stool to rotate in response.)  
  * Why is it harder to tilt the wheel when it is spinning than when it is still? (Angular momentum resists changes in direction.)  
  * How are gyroscopes used in real life? (They are used in spacecraft, airplanes, and smartphones to sense orientation and maintain stability.)