Research Paper

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What is a yo-yo? A toy consisting of a spool attached to a string. Hmm. Try this, a toy consisting of a long string attached to a spool that is dropped and raised repeatedly using the force of friction, gravity and momentum to unwind and rewind the string. Although it is just a spool and a string it can do amazing things in the right hands. Some people learn how to work a yo-yo the first time they try while others have a hard time trying to get the spool back into their hands. Soon you will find out all there is to know before playing with these devices. There is a scientific background in yo-yo’s, something extraordinary that brings yo-yo’s to life. These simple toys are remarkable demonstrations of fundamental scientific principles. Let’s bring physics into the world of yo-yo’s.

There are many scientific terms that describe yo-yo’s function. Although a yo-yo is a simple device, there is so much behind the scene of it. You will learn that there are various types of yo-yo’s: original, modern, fishing yo-yo’s, and yo-yo’s that are present today (with more advances). Traditional and modern Yo-yo’s are more complicated to play with because there is only the string attached to the axle which makes it harder to do tricks (no support). Newer yo-yo’s have support as they are built with a ball bearing system. Later you will find out what that is. There is also various body material of yo-yo’s: (wood, plastic, metal), weight, axle design, shape, and size which all play a huge role in yo-yo’s performance. First, we’ll look at the differences in traditional and modern yo-yo‘s. (In the picture to the left), the traditional yo-yo design has a single-tied string securely tied around the axle where in the modern design; the string is double-lo...

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...o rewind completely, the person must give a slight tug on the yo-yo to counterbalance the energy lost to friction. Friction is caused by the axle rubbing against the string as it winds up; however, in the modern design, there is less friction between the string and the axle because the string is only looped around the axle; therefore, more friction is needed in tugging the yo-yo back into the palm of your hand. Coming back to “sleep”, it is relatively difficult to wake a yo-yo up. Manufacturers have tried to make waking up a yo-yo easier so they found an improvement in doing so. One of the improvements was shifting the weight of the yo-yo to alter is moment of inertia.

http://www.howstuffworks.com/yo-yo.htm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smT3teaCQ9s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igOjrQCJuPM
http://science.howstuffworks.com/transport/engines-equipment/bearing1.htm

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