There\’s gyroscopic effect; and there\’s gyroscopic effect.

Ever play with a gyroscope? When I was about twelve, we kids got an old, metal one that older cousins handed down to us; and that thing provided a great deal of amusement.

When we set it spinning, after about five seconds it started to make loud buzzing noises; and zip here and there for distances as great as six inches. It was hilarious! I have no idea what made it do that — perhaps some form of sympathetic vibration? — but we always laughed our heads off about it.

Then there\’s the gyroscopic effect as it pertains to bicycling. It\’s why keeping your balance on a bike gets easier as you go faster. It\’s amazing how much harder it is to keep a bicycle erect, and on a straight line, as you go more and more slowly. Like that toy gyroscope, or a spinning top, the slower it goes, the more it wobbles; and ultimately, it falls over. As a beginner on two wheels, though, it seems counterintuitive. At that stage, it feels hard to control the bicycle at all.

All this talk of gyroscopes has me thinking of Music of the Spheres; and from there, I start thinking about The Planets. Talk about spacing out!