Find a
Resource
Select grade level(s) Select resource type(s) Select collection(s) Select standard(s) Skip navigation Digital Library for Earth System Education
Digital Library for Earth System Education
Home
New to DLESE?
Search tips
Educational resources > Find a resource > Resource description
Precession
http://bingweb.binghamton.edu/~jbarker/demos/demo10.html
From DLESE Community Collection (DCC)
Comment on this resource
This demonstration uses a gyroscope (a bicycle wheel works well), string, and a turntable (optional) to show how the equatorial bulge of Earth causes precession. By balancing the spinning bicycle wheel on one hand, and pulling a string attached to the top axle with the other, the axis of the wheel traces out a circle (precesses). The site also explains how the moment of inertia is related to torque and precession.
Intended for grade levels:
  • Middle (6-8)
  • High (9-12)
  • College (13-14)
Type of resource:
  • For the classroom:
    • Presentation / Demo
Subject:
  • Geological Sciences:
    • Geophysics
Technical requirements:
No specific technical requirements, just a browser required
Cost / Copyright:
No cost
Copyright and Other Restrictions Information is Unknown
DLESE Catalog ID: DLESE-000-000-006-235
Educational standards:
  • National Science Education Standards (NSES):
    • 5-8:
      • Unifying concepts and processes:
        • Evidence, models, and explanation
      • B - Physical science:
        • Motion and forces
    • 9-12:
      • Unifying concepts and processes:
        • Evidence, models, and explanation
      • B - Physical science:
        • Motions and forces
      • D - Earth and space science:
        • Energy in the earth system
Related resources:
This resource is part of 'Demonstrations of Geophysical Principles Applicable to the Properties and Processes of the Earth's Interior'
http://bingweb.binghamton.edu/~jbarker/demos.html
Resource contact / Creator / Publisher:
Author: Jeffrey S. Barker
Geological Sciences and Environmental Studies, Binghamton University