Editing Yo-yo (section)

{{short description|Toy}}

{{Redirect|Yoyo|other uses|Yoyo (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox Toy
|name=Yo-yo
|image = File:Yo-Yo-Plastic-Toy-Green.jpg
|type=
|inventor=
|country=
|company=
|from=440 BC&nbsp;
|to=&nbsp;present
|website=
|slogan=
}}
A '''yo-yo''' (also spelled '''yoyo''') is a toy consisting of an [[axle]] connected to two [[cylinder|disks]], and a string looped around the axle, similar to a [[wikt:spool|spool]]. It is an ancient toy with proof of existence since 440 BC. The yo-yo was also called a '''bandalore''' in the 17th century.

It is played by holding the free end of the string known as the ''handle'' (by inserting one finger{{emdash}}usually the middle or ring finger{{emdash}}into a [[slip knot]]), allowing [[gravity]] (or the force of a throw and gravity) to [[spin (geometry)|spin]] the yo-yo and unwind the string (similar to how a [[pullstring]] works). The player then allows the yo-yo to wind itself back to the player's hand, exploiting its spin (and the associated [[rotational energy]]). This is often called "yo-yoing" or "playing yo-yo".

In the simplest play, the string is intended to be wound on the spool by hand; the yo-yo is thrown downward, hits the end of the string then winds up the string toward the hand, and finally the yo-yo is grabbed, ready to be thrown again. One of the most basic tricks is called the [[sleeper (yo-yo trick)|sleeper]], where the yo-yo spins at the end of the string for a noticeable amount of time before returning to the hand.