How Does a Spinning Bicycle Wheel Defy Gravity?

[AARMA]

In a class demonstration, a bicycle wheel was held on an axle and spun. The result came to be that the wheel while rotating held a vertical position while holding it by a string attached to the end of the axle. After the wheel stopped rotating its vertical position ceased and the wheel attained a horizontal position.

How and why does that happen?

 

[rcgldr]

Wiki article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precession

Link to an old series about gyroscopes and some other stuff. Video #9 shows a gyro hanging from a long string.

http://www.gyroscopes.org/1974lecture.asp

 

[AARMA]

can someone explain with his own words.. :)

 

[Cleonis]

In a class demonstration, a bicycle wheel was held on an axle and spun.

On physicsforums:
See this post from november 2010 about https://www.physicsforums.com/showpost.php?p=2992527&postcount=3".


More detailed discussion is in the http://www.cleonis.nl/physics/phys256/gyroscope_physics.php" article on my website.