Right-Handed and Left-Handed Spin: Just Orientation?

[liometopum]

I keep reading about right-handed and left-handed spin. But if the spinning object is featureless, then there should only be one spin. It is just a matter of orientation of the spinning object.

For example, if we look on the Earth from above the north pole, it spins counter-clockwise. But if we look at if from the south pole, it spins clockwise. So we could have two identical spinning objects and if one is oriented 'upwards' and the other 'downwards', someone could say one of them has right-handed spin and the other has left-handed spin. But they are the same. It is a question of their orientation to some field, for example.

Is that right, or am I missing something?

 

[tiny-tim]

hi liometopum!

… if the spinning object is featureless, then there should only be one spin. It is just a matter of orientation of the spinning object.

yes that's right …

the spin is always measured relative to a direction defined as the positive z-direction (usually either the direction of motion, or the direction of an applied field)

 

[liometopum]

Thanks!

 

[Forestman]

One thing that needs to be added is that quantum physics requires another kind of logic to understand it. In a lot of ways it really goes against common sense. Angular momentum on the quantum scale is not the same thing as a macroscopic object spinning. I really can't explain it to you, because I don't fully understand it, but quantum angular momentum is different in its very nature.