Gyroscope

陀螺仪

One typical type of gyroscope is made by suspending a relatively massive rotor inside three rings called gimbals. Mounting each of these rotors on high quality bearing surfaces insures that very little torque can be exerted on the inside rotor.

一种典型的陀螺是由将一个相对质量较大的转子悬挂在三个称为陀螺仪的环内制成的。将每个转子安装在高质量的轴承表面上，可以确保对内部转子施加的扭矩非常小。

Further discussion of gyroscopes

陀螺的进一步讨论

Precession of gyroscope

陀螺仪的进动

Gyroscope Discussion

陀螺讨论

The classic image of a gyroscope is a fairly massive rotor suspended in light supporting rings called gimbals which have nearly frictionless bearings and which isolate the central rotor from outside torques. At high speeds, the gyroscope exhibits extraordinary stability of balance and maintains the direction of the high speed rotation axis of its central rotor. The implication of the conservation of angular momentum is that the angular momentum of the rotor maintains not only its magnitude, but also its direction in space in the absence of external torque. The classic type gyroscope finds application in gyro-compasses, but there are many more common examples of gyroscopic motion and stability. Spinning tops, the wheels of bicycles and motorcycles, the spin of the Earth in space, even the behavior of a boomerang are examples of gyroscopic motion.

陀螺的经典图像是一个相当沉重的转子悬挂在称为陀螺仪的支撑环中，这些支撑环具有几乎无摩擦的轴承，并将中央转子与外部力矩隔离。在高速下，陀螺表现出非凡的平衡稳定性，并保持其中央转子高速旋转轴的方向。角动量守恒的含义是，在没有外部力矩作用时，转子的角动量不仅保持其大小，也保持其在空间中的方向。经典的陀螺类型被应用于陀螺仪，但陀螺运动和稳定性还有许多更常见的例子。旋转的陀螺、自行车和摩托车的轮子、地球在空间中的自转，甚至飞盘的行为都是陀螺运动的例子。

Gyroscope Precession

陀螺预cession

If a gyroscope is tipped, the gimbals will try to reorient to keep the spin axis of the rotor in the same direction. If released in this orientation, the gyroscope will precess in the direction shown because of the torque exerted by gravity on the gyroscope.

如果陀螺仪被倾斜，支架会试图重新定位以保持转子的自旋轴方向不变。如果以这种 orientation 释放，由于重力对陀螺仪施加的力矩，陀螺仪将如图所示发生进动。