Abstract
A BICYCLE wheel, loaded at the rim, is placed upon an axle about four feet in length. This axle passes vertically through a hole in the centre of a rotating stool and is fixed rigidly to the stationary pedestal of the stool. A man standing upon the rotating stool can now set himself in rotation in one direction by turning the bicycle wheel in the opposite direction. A more striking demonstration can be given when the axle of the bicycle wheel is not fixed to the pedestal but rests upon the rotary part of the stool. In this case the man stands upon the stool grasping the axle of the bicycle wheel and holding it vertically in his left hand. With his right hand he sets the wheel in rotation (clockwise), and he necessarily rotates with the stool in the opposite sense (anti-clockwise). By applying the palm of his hand to the rim of the bicycle wheel, the man can stop his own rotation and that of the wheel at the same time. If a second man standing upon the floor stops the rotation of the man on the stool, the latter can again start himself in rotation by taking energy from the bicycle wheel. In a complete analysis of these rotations, friction in the bearings of the rotating parts must be taken into account.
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COLWELL, R. Action and Reaction in Rotary Motion. Nature 122, 962 (1928). https://doi.org/10.1038/122962b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/122962b0
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