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The rattleback is a small, approximately ten centimeter long, elliptical object with the base shaped similar to the hull of a boat. Also called a celt, it exhibits very strange behavior when spun clockwise. If the object is placed on a flat surface and rotated clockwise, it will begin to pitch up and down. As this pitching increases in speed the rate of spin will gradually slow until it reaches a point where the spinning pauses briefly. At this point it will reverse and begin spinning in the opposite direction for a few moments, then stop completely. If the rattleback is spun counter-clockwise, however, it does not reverse direction, but continues to spin in the direction it was started until it slows and eventually comes to a complete stop. We wondered how and why this small, solid shaped object displays properties that seem to defy basic principles of physics. In order to explain this strange behavior our team has taken on the complicated challenge of explaining the unique characteristics of the rattleback mathematically by attempting to simulate its behavior on the super computer. |