Step 9: To Use
To spin it, hold the chopstick between your hands, then slide one hand over the other. Watch the Benham's Disk as it spins – you should see colors!
The physics for why tops don't fall down when spinning is acutally spectacularly complicated. So apologies to physics aficionados for this simplification: when you spin a top like the Chop Top, you provide a force in a circular direction. The spinning top’s inertia keeps it moving in a circle, so gravity is unable to pull it down. Eventually, friction slows down the top enough that gravity is able to overcome the inertia and pull it down.
As for the colors, this is a type of optical illusion known as a Benham’s Disk where certain patterns of spinning black and white cause people to see colors. But the reason why is still unknown after over 100 years!
The physics for why tops don't fall down when spinning is acutally spectacularly complicated. So apologies to physics aficionados for this simplification: when you spin a top like the Chop Top, you provide a force in a circular direction. The spinning top’s inertia keeps it moving in a circle, so gravity is unable to pull it down. Eventually, friction slows down the top enough that gravity is able to overcome the inertia and pull it down.
As for the colors, this is a type of optical illusion known as a Benham’s Disk where certain patterns of spinning black and white cause people to see colors. But the reason why is still unknown after over 100 years!
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