Anti-Gravity Wheel?

Huge thanks to A/Prof Emeritus Rod Cross, Helen Georgiou for filming, Alex Yeung, and Chris Stewart, the University of Sydney Mechanical Engineering shop, Duncan and co. Ralph and the School of Physics.

In this video I attempt to lift a 19kg (42 lbs) wheel over my head one-handed while it's spinning at a few thousand RPM. This replicates an earlier experiment by Professor Eric Laithwaite. He claimed the wheel was 'light as a feather' and could not be explained by Newton's Laws. I wanted to find out for myself what I really felt like.

[alejandromuralles]

I'm not heavy, I'm just not spinning at 5000 rpm.

[BinkieMcFartnuggets]

Anti gravity cars are possible! All you need is a grandpa with a drill.

[zavier]

Gravity : No one can win against me.
Torque : Hold my wheel.

[kallepunkken]

This is the first Veritasium clip that I saw and its one of my favorite videos on youtube. I still come back to it, not only for the coolness of the science but because it's so well made with narration. talking and music to capture attention.

[VikasGupta-iydc]

Thats why Thor always spun his hammer before he rode on it.

[henryviii]

“You may recognize this as gyroscopic procession”

Ahh yes, gyroseptic precession

[matejvukanovic]

If you tried this before 1687. it woud be soo easy becouse Isac Newton didn't discover gravity before 1687.

[jakemoeller]

As children, those of us who are "of a certain age" remember having a small gyroscope. Watching it balance on a string, handling it as the wheel spun to its heart's content, fascinated by the toy. Other than a microscope set, the gyroscope was my favorite...very fond memories!

[GunjanB.]

Isn’t it obvious? Literally at the beginning it states he’s in Australia

[gladtobegrey]

I recall watching Professor Eric Laithwaite demonstrating this on a much larger (and more dangerous) scale in the 1974 Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, televised on the BBC. Search youtube for 'Eric Laithwaite's lecture on gyroscopes'.

[crackeds]

Plot twist: he's actually the world's strongest bodybuilder

[rodcross]

The gyroscope does not get lighter when it is is spinning. It just feels lighter. When it is not spinning, and lifted by one hand near the wheel end, two forces are needed to lift it, one each side of the hand, both larger than the weight of the wheel and in opposite directions. That is needed to balance both the weight and the torque exerted on the hand.

[thatshittysnarefromSTanger]

I want to get this spinning as fast as possible for the experiment

proceeds to talk for 10 seconds after they take power off the wheel

[snailpop]

I see the algorithm has brought all of us back together

[jerickoposs]

"I want it to be as fast as possible. Keep going, keep going. 10 more seconds..."

*proceeds to not lift it over his head and deliver a 20 second intro*

[frolly]

When I was a kid in the UK early 1970's magnetic levitation for passenger use vehicles was all the rage.
I thought before 2000 these would be common in the UK, instead, they are in China and Japan!
Professor Eric Laithwaite was often on TV speaking about his 'magnetic river' discoveries.
He was also into this big gyroscopes like this and their properties.

[sweetbarry]

What would happen if you had two fly wheels on the same end spinning in opposite directions?

[bldjln]

When you ask a physicist “do you lift bro?”

[NocturnalCoder]

Imagine being the buff dude, watching him from distance, taking the wheel above his head w/o any context...

[emmynoether]

Just beautiful! Watched these long back, but now I have a new found appreciation for these now that I'm in class 12