A Toy Gyroscope (A

question 3

Multiple Choice

A toy gyroscope (a.k.a. a top) consists of a solid disk with a thin rod projecting perpendicular to the center of the disk. The rod, which serves as the rotational axis for the gyroscope, projects on both sides of the disk. The gyroscope is placed with one end of the axis on the surface of the table, and spun so that the rotation of the disk viewed from above is counterclockwise. Alas, the axis of rotation is not quite perpendicular table surface and so the gyroscope precesses. Viewing from above, with the end of the axis in contact with the table staying in the same spot, in what direction does the other end of the axis of the gyroscope precess?

• A) The precession is clockwise.
• B) The precession is counterclockwise.
• C) In the northern hemisphere the precession is clockwise, but in the southern hemisphere it is counterclockwise.
• D) In the northern hemisphere the precession is counterclockwise, but in the southern hemisphere it is clockwise.

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Definitions:

Freud

A reference to Sigmund Freud, an Austrian neurologist known for founding psychoanalysis, a method for treating psychopathology through dialogue between a patient and a psychoanalyst.

Striving for Superiority

A concept in psychology suggesting that a primary motivational force in humans is the pursuit of superiority or success in overcoming challenges.

Alfred Adler

An Austrian psychiatrist and founder of Adlerian psychology, emphasizing the importance of the feeling of inferiority in the development of personality.

Oedipal Complex

A Freudian theory in psychoanalytic psychology that a child, typically around the age of three to five, experiences a desire for the opposite-sex parent and hostility toward the same-sex parent.