the Physics of a Yo-yo

The Physics of a Yo-yo In everything that we do, there is some aspect of physics involved in it. Even if we are just standing still on the ground, or leaning up against a wall, there are still numerous forces acting upon us. This paper will tell of the physics involved in throwing a yo-yo. When you release a yo-yo, gravity acts on its center of mass to pull the yo-yo downward. Because the string …

…of mass of the yo-yo a little extra kinetic energy to compensate for frictional losses, so that the yo-yo can be kept going indefinitely. Yo-yos can also be thrown horizontally, or launched in other directions. The principle of operation is then just the same except that the kinetic energy of the center of mass, which is converted into spin as the string unwinds, results from being thrown, rather than from falling through a gravitational potential.