Two questions:

1) which way is your index finger poining at the start (initial orientation)?

2) why is the guy in the cubicle across from me looking at me strangely?

BTW, thanks for all the education you guys. I never got this much detail about this penomenon. I know my palm sander is a good way to see this.

> Sure it works. You've just got to remember that you're only seeing
> the reaction force at one end of a gyroscope only. The right hand
> is showing the force on the thumb end. You've got to remember there's
> an opposite force on the other end. Gyroscopes react by twisting,
> not simply displacing as in rising up with your finger.

> To use your left hand properly as a second gyro, you've got to
> hold your fist facing *down*. Do that, compare it with your right
> fist/gyro, and you'll see reversed rotation, and reversed forces at
> the same end of the gyro. Once you've got that, we'll progress to
> step two.

> Step two.

> Lets play here. Use your right hand gyro, twist it so your thumb
> points towards your face (clockwise rotation if viewed from the top,
> by twisting the forearm). Moving it like that will make your fist/gyro
> react by lifting the thumb end *and lowering the pinkie end*. We'll
> call that a counter-clockwise reaction. Do this until you've got it
> visualized.

> Step three.

> Now go to the left hand fist/gyro, and rotate it in the same
> direction as you just rotated your right hand fist/gyro. You'll notice
> that this gyro reacts in the opposite direction, twisting in a clockwise
> direction.

> Step four.

> Now start working both fist/gyros at the same time. The right
> hand fist/gyro reacts counter-clockwise, the left hand fist/gyro reacts
> clockwise. Both cancel each others reaction out.

> Addendum.

> The only things seeing the reactions of this are the members
> joining the two together. That's why they are usually ganged together
> close by and quite strongly. Then, as in the case of that gyro race
> car, there is no torque reaction experienced by the car. It will be
> completely contained within the gyro assembly.

> Now, if you did put one gyroscope at one end of the car, and
> the other at the other end of the car, you would impart all sorts
> of torsional stresses on the entire chassis of the car. Same a kayak
> in fact. While the kayak would be gyroscopically neutral, it would
> be twisted and ripped apart by the force vectors going through it
> by the two opposed gyroscopes.