9 September 2020

Is a rotating gyroscope lighter than one at rest? If the gyroscope, in the situation shown in the figure, supports its weight on one side, then the whole thing acts as a structure supported on two sides. This implies that the entire system should weigh half as much as the same system at rest, because to support a beam of the same weight would require twice the total load-bearing capacity. In this case, support on one side is not needed because that side is floating in the air. Hence, the question is whether gyroscopes actually work this way.

9 September 2020

In the situation shown in the illustration below, the entire system, i.e., the rod and the flywheel, loses weight, and depending on how heavy the rod is, the entire system can lose up to 98%, not necessarily 50% of its weight and own inertia. As long as the wheel is spinning, the system is practically weightless.