Spinning Springs
This video describes an experiment in which we hold a spring by one end, spin it in a horizontal circle and then release it. This is the rotational version of the popular experiment where a slinky is held vertically by one end and then released; the bottom of the slinky does not move at all for some time after the top is released. For the spinning spring, what do you think will happen to the free end when the inner end is released?
The experiment was conducted by Matt Carnaghi, a physics student from High Point University in North Carolina; Aaron Titus, physics professor at High Point; Tom Dooling, a physics prof at UNC-Pembroke, and me, Jeff Regester from Greensboro Day School. Our paper describing the detailed physics and analysis of the experiment can be found at http://arxiv.org/abs/1508.04037