Rotation

August 30th, 2011
physics, rotation
Imagine a pipe in space, spinning around its long axis. Now imagine giving it two symetrical pushes, one on each end, at points (a) and (b) below:

If the pipe were not already spinning around it's long axis, these would set it spinning around point (c), in the middle. It is already spinning, though, so what does it do?

Comment via: google plus, facebook, substack

Recent posts on blogs I like:

AI risk is not a Pascal's wager

In the 17th century, the mathematician Blaise Pascal devised the idea of Pascal’s Wager.

via Thing of Things April 6, 2026

Microfictions

A few microfictions, very much inspired by Quiet Pine Trees. I hope to add more over time. No LLMs.

via Evan Fields March 27, 2026

Daycares and the Brown School

As someone in Somerville I notice that there are quite high prices regarding childcare. The average family in Somerville pays $1,100 to $3,500 for daycare per month, and I want to make the costs more affordable. I have also noticed that housing is quite …

via Lily Wise's Blog Posts March 22, 2026

more     (via openring)