Question

Write a detailed explanation of the demonstration we did in the lab (it was the classic bicycle wheel demonstration that shows how conservation of angular momentum works) in which I stood on a rotating platform and held a rotating bicycle wheel with its axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of my body. Consider the ‘up’ direction to be the +z axis. With this convention, and focusing on the z component of the total angular momentum, explain what you saw in the demonstration and why it occurred. You must also connect your explanation to the equation |τ|=|dL/dt|.  Also explain how your experience changed when you moved the bicycle wheel slowly and then quickly?

Answer 1