Leigh Palmer wrote:
Oh really! I'm a bit surprised by this. What explanation do
they give for the reason for the stability of the bicycle?
Hi:
During my own period of maniacal cycling -about 10 years and forty
pounds ago- I read about a bicylce that had been built with a dummy
third wheel that didn't touch the ground but which rotated
opposite to the direction of the other wheels in such a way that
the total angular momentum of the three wheels was zero. Ths
mutant bicycle was perfectly stable. Unfortunately, I can't
recall a reference.
Ed Schweber (edschweb@ix.netcom.com)
Physics Teacher
Solomon Schechter Day School
West Orange, NJ