WHAT’S HAPPENING
The flywheel inside the flywheel engine is
connected to one of the engine’s wheels. When you
pull the rip code, you are adding a lot of rotational
energy to the flywheel. By setting the flywheel in
motion, you are increasing its angular
momentum. The angular momentum is stored in
the flywheel and is slowly transferred to the two
wheels to drive the model. As the two wheels
turn and make the model move forward, the
flywheel transfers its rotational energy to the
wheels. As the flywheel loses energy, it slows
down, eventually stopping.
HERE’S HOW
1
to
7
Assemble the model.
8
Insert the rip cord into the
slot in the flywheel engine.
Hold the model, pull the rip
cord, and place the model on a
smooth tabletop. What do you
observe?
29
Gyroscopes & Flywheels
EXPERIMENT 19
6
7
