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When Things Spin, Science Happens: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}{{Needs Image}}
{{quote|''"[...]and if science has taught me anything, it's that if something is spinning, it's important."''
|'''Gordon Frohman''', ''[[Concerned]]: The [[Half-Life]] and Death of Gordon Frohman''}}
We all know [[Everything's Better with Spinning]], but sometimes it is so much better that
In [[Real Life]] rotation has many interesting and perplexing properties: precession, gyroscopic stabilization, and the generation of electric/magnetic fields just to name a few. Writers often use the intrinsic mystery of such phenomena to increase the plausibility of their devices functioning by making them rotate. This is especially true when the device involved needs to generate a field or zone of fictional type, being directly analogous to electric field generation.
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In addition rotation is visually exciting informing the audience that the device is operating, and hopefully doing something sciency. Besides, rotation has the benefit of a closed path: if science just flew off in a straight line it'd be out of shot.
In [[Real Life]], technology is usually not visibly exciting to watch in action. For example, your computer (while it has fans and drives which spin) does not actively move while in operation. In many cases, the fact that the machine or technology is operating at all can be somewhat oblique to the naked eye. Witness the many people who call into Tech Support claiming that their [[Computer Equals Monitor|computer]] isn't working... [[Discredited Trope|because]] it [[Idiot Ball|
This trope is a sub-trope of [[Applied Phlebotinum]]. Probably related to [[Technicolor Science]].
{{examples}}
▲== Anime & Manga ==
* In ''[[Outlaw Star]]'', the FTL-drives in wide use seems to work by spinning something that looks like a mix between a drill and a helicopter rotor. Two of them, in opposite directions.
* Spiral Power is the crux of ''[[Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann]]'', {{spoiler|and the reason the [[Scary Dogmatic Aliens]] are trying to kill everybody.}}
** It's also the theme of a [[Fauxlosophic Narration]] delivered by Leeron.
*** Although considering which [[Anime]] we're talking about perhaps it might be more like "When Things Spin Science Collapses."
* In ''[[
* ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's]]'' has Momentum, a big spinning thing that provides power to all of Neo Domino City. It's not quite explained how it works, other than by harnessing the powers of momentum. Although if it explodes, then it can split the land in two.
* In ''[[Cowboy Bebop]]'', ships have rotating sections which appear to be gravity generators. (Note that this is a concept that has been seriously proposed in [[Real Life]]; for example see the [[wikipedia:Island Three|O'Neill Cylinder]].)
== Comic Books ==
* ''[[The Flash]]'' deals with almost every situation involving science or technobabble by spinning or running in a circle at super-speed.
* [[Superman]] in the [[Silver Age]] could even stop tornadoes and [[Time Travel]] by doing so.
** [https://web.archive.org/web/20130807013750/http://superdickery.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=33&Itemid=52&limitstart=10 An example of "spinning = time travel"] at Superdickery.com.
== Film ==
* In ''[[Batman
* The time machine in the 2002 remake of ''[[The Time Machine]]'' is a cool-looking clockwork [[Steampunk]] mechanism with many spinning parts that projects a glowing spherical force field in which it travels through time.
** Which was partly inspired by the 1960s version, which had a huge disc on the back. Fun fact: it had 365 pegs around the edge.
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== Literature ==
* [[Discworld]]:
*
**
***
*
**
** Spindizzies are based on [[wikipedia:Patrick Blackett, Baron Blackett|P. M. S. Blackett]]'s work on planetary magnetism, correlating magnetism, gravity, and angular momentum. As angular momentum is a key factor, of course a spinning <s>doohickey</s> device is necessary. If memory serves,{{verify}} the intent was to use magnetism and spin to change Newton's <s>fudge factor</s> gravitational constant, flipping it negative, and causing anti-gravity. Blackett's work in this area was discredited to his own satisfaction in his lifetime.
* The titular craft from the ''[[Rama]]'' series generates gravity from spinning (see "centrifugal force" under {{smallcaps|Truth In Television}} below) and odd effects arise from Coriolis forces that the characters use to their advantage.
* The ''[[Ringworld]]'' not only spins for gravity, its spin also allows it to act magnetically on its sun to produce [[Wave Motion Gun|solar-flare megalasers]], fuel its stabilizing jets with ramscoops, and even {{spoiler|turn the whole Ringworld system mobile}}.
* In [[Larry Niven]]'s ''[[The Magic Goes Away (novel)|The Magic Goes Away]]'', When Things Spin, Magic Happens... or rather, [[Anti-Magic]], as the wizard-wheel burns up all the [[Mana]] in the area until it depletes the local [[Background Magic Field]], leaving a dead zone.
▲== Live Action TV ==
* In ''[[Firefly]]'', how ''Serenity'''s engines function is never explained, other than it must spin to work.
** According to the director, the engine is a gravity drive, which still doesn't explain why it has to spin.
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** And in [[Star Trek|The Original Series]], a duplicate robot Kirk was made by a spinning alien doohickey. Lampshaded by Doctor Ira Graves when he encounters it in the spinoff novel ''Immortal Coil'': "Why in the world would the platform need to spin? It doesn't make any sense. It's almost like...a lot of hand waving. Idle motion."
*** Heck, the TOS nacelles themselves had something spinning in the red bussard collectors. In ''[[Star Trek: The Animated Series]]'' it seemed to be linked to the direction of flight, spinning backwards when the ship went into reverse and slowing to a stop when it came to a halt.
* We don't actually get to see them doing their thing until very near the end of the series, but jump drives in ''[[Battlestar Galactica
* As an inversion, the spinning sections of Earth Alliance, Drazi and Vree ships in ''[[Babylon 5]]'' show that they are less advanced than the other races, who use artificial gravity instead of centrifugal
* Surely every ''[[CSI]]''
== Video Games ==
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* Teleporters from ''[[Team Fortress 2]]'' are a prime example: They become ready to use when they're up to full speed. The upgraded ones accelerate to full speed faster.
* [http://xkcd.com/332/ This irrationality] even affects the scientifically aware ''[[
▲== Webcomics ==
▲* [http://xkcd.com/332/ This irrationality] even affects the scientifically aware ''[[Xkcd]]''.
** And [http://xkcd.com/162/ this] one uses spinning with real science.
* Lampshaded in [
{{quote|"...and if science has taught me anything, it's that if something is '''spinning''', it's '''important'''.}}
* ''[[Drive (webcomic)|Drive]]'': It's not clear how the Ring Drive works (all we know is that it's ''really'' cold in there), but since it's apparently ring-shaped by necessity, there's likely spinning involved.
== Web Original ==
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{{quote|"My whole deal's backed up with actual scientific findings and rotating computer graphics, so you ''know'' it's legit!"}}
* From the ''[[Global Guardians PBEM Universe]]:'' Herr Doktor Archeville possessed a machine that his teammates called "the spinny gizmo". No one was sure what it did, really, but it sure looked fancy, and it had that spinny part on the front of it.
== Western Animation ==
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* On ''[[Superfriends]]'', spinning was practically the universal solution.
* In ''[[Futurama]]'', the heads of jurists spin when deciding on a verdict in court.
== Real Life ==
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** [[wikipedia:Centrifugal governor|Centrifugal governors]] consist of two weights on hinges on an axle. When the engine starts up, the axle spins around and centrifugal forces cause the weights to swing in and out, regulating the speed of the engine. The net effect to the bystander, though, is to have a little propeller-looking doohicky that has no obvious function.
*** This is where the term "Going balls out" comes from. Not from [[Going Commando|not wearing undies]], but from operating at maximum speed.
***
{{quote|"some sort of governor device. I feel I could do something with a pair of revolving balls."
"Funnily enough, when that lightning bolt hit, the thing started glowing, and we went scudding across the water, I distinctly felt ''my''-" }}
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* Particle accelerators (synchrotrons and other circular accelerators at least) literally make science happen by spinning things. Admittedly very small things that you can't actually see spinning.
* How do you get [[Artificial Gravity]] in real life? Why, you spin your space station or ship, of course! You can also spin just ''part'' of your ship, but given Conservation of Angular Momentum, spinning part of your ship will cause the ''rest'' of your ship to start spinning in the opposite direction. SCIENCE!
** which is why you set up two of them, counter-rotating, to cancel out most or all of said spin. Then you use gyroscopes (
* Centrifuges! an essential tool of chemistry and biochemistry, because spinning a tube a several thousand cycles per minutes can separate liquids of ''slightly'' different densities in mere minutes instead of hours, days or weeks if allowed to happen through gravity alone.
* The screw. Just its shape can drill holes, move matter, and secure things. The screw (and its derivatives) is used in so many applications it's very easy to take it for granted.
{{reflist}}
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Applied Phlebotinum]]
[[Category:Everything's Better with Spinning]]
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