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Revision as of 20:32, 30 November 2007 by Wolvereness (talk | contribs) (fixed vandalism)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) For other uses, see Spinning top (disambiguation).
A top, or spinning top, is a toy that can be spun on an axis, balancing on a point. The top is one of the oldest recognizable toys found on archaeological sites. Besides toys, tops have also historically been used for gambling and prophecy. Some role-playing gamers still use tops to augment dice in generating randomized results, it is in this case referred to as a Spinner. A thumbtack may also be made to spin on the same principles.
The action of a top relies on the gyroscopic effect for its operation. Typically the top will at first wobble until the shape of the tip and its interaction with the surface force it upright. After spinning upright for an extended period, the angular momentum, and therefore the gyroscopic effect, will gradually lessen, leading to ever increasing precession, finally causing the top to topple in a frequently violent last thrash.
In recent years there have been many developments with the technology of the top. Bearing tops, with a tip that spins, have been one of the biggest changes. Fixed tip tops and bearing tops are featured in National Championships in Chico, California and in the World Championships in Orlando, Florida. Below are results from the most recent World Championship:
2007 World Championship Final Results - 1)Matt Ritter from Tallahassee, Florida; 2)Takeshi Kamisato from Indianapolis, Indiana; 3)Jorge Alcoz from Montevideo, Uruguay and San Antonio, Texas; 4)David Buhrmester from Kansas City, Missouri; 5)Mike Hout from Miamisburg, Ohio; 6)Boyd Seth from Portland, Oregon; 7)Hamilton Yokota from Brazil;
2007 National Championship Final Results - 1)Jon Gates from Denver, Colorado; 2)Takeshi Kamisato from Indianapolis, Indiana; 3)Boyd Seth from Portland, Oregon
Types of tops
- Concertina top
- Dreidel (also spelled "dradel", "dreidl", or "dreydl")
- Dueling top
- Floating top
- Gaming top
- Perinola
- Tippe top
- Trompo
- Whipping top
- Whistling top
- Gasing leper
- Gasing jantung
- Spinja
- Battling Tops
Perinola (or Pirinola)
A Perinola is a six-sided top, very similar to the ham-sandwich, that is used for a similar game in Latin America.
See also
- Levitron
- Rattleback or celt, a top that reverses its spin direction.
- Gyroscope
- Wizzer
- Bauernroulette
- The Top - Short story by Franz Kafka
- Gee-haw whammy diddle
- Yo-yo
External links
- Why Do We Play With a Dreidel — Top on Chanukah? chabad.org
- Perinola rules in Spanish
- Perinola description in Spanish
- Just Dreidels a site centered around the dreidel
- The Ultimate Resource for Top Spinning on the Web