The 'mysterious spinner' is not mysterious at all...Lee posted this to
the KeelyNet BBS many years ago...at the time, we were all amazed but
experiments showed the truth of it.
Basically, take a thread, connect it to the paper clip and hold it near
one end of a magnet...as you bring the clip closer to the pole, it will
begin to spin.....until it winds up on the thread, then it will stop
spinning as torsional forces balance.
When you do this with a monofilament, there is NO SPIN....Charles Yost
said it was most likely the twist of the fibers making up the
thread....when under pressure, caused by the attraction of the clip to
the magnet, the clip spins....
Lee made a very neat clear tube with a spring loaded plunger on one
end...attached to the plunger is a paper clip connected by a thread...on
the other end of the clear tube is a magnet....when you push the plunger
down, the clip is brought close to the magnet and it will wind up and
eventually stop....let the plunger go and the clip will unspin to an at
rest state...what makes it neat is the clip floating in the air from the
pull of the magnet....
I am surprised they are selling these...but they are neat toys...
-- Jerry W. Decker / jdecker@keelynet.com http://keelynet.com / "From an Art to a Science" Voice : (214) 324-8741 / FAX : (214) 324-3501 KeelyNet - PO BOX 870716 - Mesquite - Republic of Texas - 75187