In #MESExperiments 33 I show that two spinning tops will spin together when spun in opposite directions but collide and hinder each others' spins when spun in the same direction. This is a very interesting finding which I discovered after trying to mimic Ionel Dinu's spinning propellers in water experiments. The plastic top weighs a lot less than the metal top, so its spin length is much shorter, especially when it strikes the metal top. When they are spinning in the same direction, they instead strike in opposing directions, thus both losing some spin momentum. The plastic spinning top loses this battle very quickly and it falls in about 20 seconds. However, when spun in opposite directions, the tops actually collide in the same direction. This results in the metal spinning top actually speeding up the plastic top every time they strike. This effectively means that the plastic spinning top, which can spin no where near as long as the metal top, is actually spinning in unison with the metal top until they fall at the same time! This is a very simple yet amazing illustration of resonance and coherence.

Unedited video:

Timestamps:

• Spinning metal top clockwise with right hand: 0:00
• Spinning plastic top clockwise with right hand: 0:17
  • Tops collide with opposing spins: 0:25
  • Plastic spinning top falls first: 0:41
• Spinning plastic top counterclockwise with left hand: 0:47
  • Tops collide with same spin direction: 0:56
  • Plastic top gains speed from metal top: 1:06
  • Both tops fall at the same time: 1:44

Stay tuned for #MESExperiments 34...

More Experiments

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Screenshots of Experiment

For reference here are screenshots of the experiment.