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Also known as a "wobblestone" or "celt", the '''rattleback''' is a semi-[[ellipsoid]]al object that can be spun about its axis like a [[top]], but after a while reverses its spinning direction. This seems, at first sight, to violate [[conservation of angular momentum]]. Moreover, for most rattlebacks, the spinning reversal will happen when the rattleback is spun in one direction, but not when spun the other. These two peculiarities make the rattleback a physical curiosity that has excited human imagination since prehistorical times.
==History==
Rattlebacks were found by archeologists investigating ancient Celtic and Egyptian sites, and some old Celtic axes demonstrate properties similar to rattlebacks. Note however that the term "celt" is not related to Celtic people but to a Latin word for ancient chisel-shaped tools and weapons. It is pronounced with a "c" as in "ceiling".
==Physics of the rattleback==
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