Why do yoyo works

The spinning motion of the outer race carries the yo-yo back up the string. This mechanism makes it easier to keep a yo-yo sleeping, but it doesn't help much with waking the yo-yo up. In the next section, we'll look inside the new "automatic" yo-yos that sleep and return on their own. In the yo-yo craze of the s, a new sort of automatic yo-yo started popping up everywhere. Yomega , the leading manufacturer of these yo-yos, advertised their model as "the yo-yo with a brain.

You can see how this mechanism works in the diagram below. As in the ball-bearing yo-yo we looked at in the last section, this yo-yo design does not let the string touch the axle directly. Instead, the string is wound around a spindle piece. The axle, which is mounted to the two halves of the yo-yo, runs through the middle of the spindle, but the two pieces are not actually connected.

The spindle and axle will move in unison when the yo-yo spins slowly, however, thanks to the yo-yo's clutch mechanism.

The clutch mechanism, which is housed inside one of the yo-yo discs, consists of two metal spring-loaded arms. These arms are weighted at one end and connected to the body of the yo-yo at the other end. When the yo-yo is stationary or spinning slowly, the springs press the arms up against the spindle, so the spindle's rotation turns the entire yo-yo. But as the yo-yo speeds up, centrifugal force pushes the weighted ends of the arms outward, against the springs.

The arms release the spindle, so that the spindle and the rest of the yo-yo move independently. When you throw the yo-yo, it initally spins slowly. The clutch is locked, and the discs are spun by the unwinding spindle. But just before the yo-yo has reached the end of its string, it is spinning fast enough that the clutch releases the spindle.

The disc's angular momentum keeps the yo-yo spinning, but the spindle slows down. Eventually, the discs slow down too, and the centrifugal force acting on the arms decreases. When the outward centrifugal force dips below the inward force of the springs, the arms clamp shut on the spindle. This transfers the spinning motion of the discs back to the spindle, which causes the spindle to rewind the string and return to your palm.

This toy is a lot more elaborate than the terra-cotta yo-yos of ancient Greece, but it has the same basic appeal. Yo-yos continue to be so popular because of their wonderful simplicity. There's some undefinable magic about taking an ordinary spool and, with nothing but a flick of the wrist, turning it into an active, spinning top.

No matter what advanced mechanisms are added to yo-yos, this simple joy will be the heart of their appeal. To learn more about yo-yos, including how to pull off some popular yo-yo tricks, check out the links on the next page! Sign up for our Newsletter! Mobile Newsletter banner close. Mobile Newsletter chat close. Mobile Newsletter chat dots. Mobile Newsletter chat avatar. Mobile Newsletter chat subscribe. How Yo-Yos Work. Yo-yos are one of the most popular toys around, even after hundreds of years.

See more toy pictures. One Good Turn " ". In the original yo-yo design, the string was secured to the axle. In the modern design, the string is only looped around the axle, allowing the yo-yo to "sleep. The yo-yo is held up in the air, giving it the potential to fall to the ground. The yo-yo has string wound around it, giving it the potential to spin as it unwinds. Name Dropping. Read More. Asleep at the Wheel " ". I practiced until my parents made me go to bed. By then, I was pretty confident I had, if not mastered, at least learned the few tricks I needed for the commercial.

I had even memorized the few lines I had. By the time we got to the park the next day, I had already been replaced. So much for my acting career. Rumor aka my brothers has it that the girl they replaced me with was much taller than my classmate and they kept getting their yo-yos tangled. Not sure how true that is, but I never did see the commercial.

There is no clear consensus on where the yo-yo originated, but most accounts agree that a man by the name of Pedro Flores first brought the yo-yo from the Philippines to the United States in the s and opened the Yo-Yo Manufacturing Company in Santa Barbara, California. Later that decade, Flores sold the company to Donald F.

Duncan, who trademarked the yo-yo name and rebranded it as the Duncan Yo-Yo. Since then, the yo-yo has evolved to include versions that have ball bearings and internal clutches, making it easier to do tricks much more complex than the ones that stumped me. Nowadays you can find expert yo-yoers doing a whirlwind of tricks in demonstrations and competitions. But yo-yos are more than just a toy.

For teachers and science enthusiasts alike, the yo-yo offers a perfect way to study simple physics concepts. Regardless of the type, all yo-yos demonstrate the conversion of potential stored energy into kinetic moving energy. When the yo-yo is resting in the palm of your hand, its string coiled around the axle, it contains potential energy. Release it, and you have now turned that potential energy into kinetic energy.

Pretty cool, huh? Even cooler is the fact that, while spinning, a yo-yo contains two different types of kinetic energy: kinetic energy of movement and kinetic energy of rotation. Kinetic energy of movement is demonstrated when the yo-yo moves up and down, while the spinning action of the yo-yo demonstrates kinetic energy of rotation. In addition to having two types of kinetic energy, yo-yos also have two types of momentum.

The six simple machines most authorities recognize include:. These simple machines form the basis of so many compound systems. A yo-yo — which is a simple wheel and axle machine — is the basis for several compound systems. Wheels and axles are used in some surprising places:. When you look more deeply at the world around you, you realize that simple and compound machines are everywhere. Remember this as you spin your yo-yo around and learn new tricks to show your friends.

When it comes to simple and compound machines in your home, you can rely on Mr. Electric to provide you with the best service. Ultimate Guide to Living Off the Grid.