The Beginning of Gyroscopes
In 1810, the very first gyroscope was made by a German inventor named G. C. Bohenberger. The first gyroscope was actually a heavy ball.
Jean Foucault
In 1817, Johann von Bohnenberger first reported the gyroscopic effect, but it wasn't until 1852 that a man named Jean Foucault created a gyroscope to study the rotation of the earth.
The gyroscope's purpose was simple: to prove that the earth spins. Foucault used a heavy wheel mounted on a rod. When he would spin the wheel, it would remain in its spatial alignment relative to the earth.
The gyroscope's purpose was simple: to prove that the earth spins. Foucault used a heavy wheel mounted on a rod. When he would spin the wheel, it would remain in its spatial alignment relative to the earth.
Foucault's Experiment-
Foucault's experiment was fairly simple. It consisted of a rapidly spinning, heavy wheel mounted on a shaft. When he would try to move the gyroscope, it would resist and stay in place. He then compared this result to the earth. The gyroscope would remain in its spatial alignment, proving that the earth spins. This same concept can be applied to a gyroscope on a moving pen. As you move the pen, the gyroscope stays straight up and down. In this way, the pen symbolizes the earth and its motion.