Motorized Gyroscope - Physics Demonstrations - Motorized Gyroscope | Physics Undergraduate Labs

Keep hands and other objects clear of the spinning rotor. The heavy rotor has substantial angular momentum and can cause pinch injuries if fingers are placed between moving gimbal rings. Demonstrate hand clearance to students.

Purpose

Students observe that a spinning gyroscope maintains its orientation when the base is rotated, demonstrating conservation of angular momentum as a vector quantity. Hanging masses from the frame produce precession rather than tipping, showing that applied torques change the direction of angular momentum.

MITAC motorized gyroscope with red rotor disk in green inner gimbal ring and blue outer gimbal ring, mounted on black base with power cord, two wooden blocks with binder clips on table nearby

Figure 1: The MITAC motorized gyroscope features a heavy spinning rotor in a multi-axis gimbal system. Binder clips visible on the frame allow masses to be attached to induce precession.

Large Motorized Gyroscope

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Safety Warnings

Warning: Rotating Apparatus

Purpose