1 / 13

How is Precession of a Heavy Top Possible?

How is Precession of a Heavy Top Possible?. Svilen Kostov and Daniel Hammer Department of Geology and Physics Georgia Southwestern State University. How is Precession of a Heavy Top Possible?.

savea
Download Presentation

How is Precession of a Heavy Top Possible?

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. How is Precession of a Heavy Top Possible? Svilen Kostov and Daniel Hammer Department of Geology and Physics Georgia Southwestern State University

  2. How is Precession of a Heavy Top Possible? Introductory physics is too simple; our task is to make it more complicated (a paraphrase of Søren Kierkegaard) Svilen Kostov and Daniel Hammer Department of Geology and Physics Georgia Southwestern State University

  3. 1. The heavy top-yesterday and today ‘Theoriedes Kreisels’ Euler angles and Euler-Lagrange equations a future physicist the ‘tippy top’

  4. 2. The heavy top/gyroscope in torque induced precession z θ y x φ

  5. 3. Precession? Q. What will the spinning gyroscope do after it is released from rest? A. Many students predict this. B. Most introductory texts prove this.

  6. 3. Precession? Q. What will the spinning gyroscope do after it is released from rest? A. Many students predict this. B. Most introductory texts prove this. (where did the vertical angular momentum come from?)

  7. 4. Precession and nutation A. Both! “It has to go down a bit in order to go around” R. Feynman in ‘The Feynman Lectures on Physics, vol. 1’

  8. 4. 1. 3. 2. 5. 5. A PASCO based lab • Demonstration gyroscope (PASCO) with two digital rotational sensors • Mini drill (DREMEL) with rubber head to accelerate disk to target rpm values • Digital stroboscope (EXTEC Instruments) to measure initial spin rate by observing aliasing pattern of spot on disk • Supporting stands • Data acquisition device (‘Explorer’, PASCO)

  9. 6. The data θ (rad) φ (rad)

  10. 7. Theory/model • Conservation of momentum Lo Δθ ΔL L (Keeping track of directions through moments of inertia) (From diagram; for small angles) (“Steady precession”, from your favorite text)

  11. 8. Fit to the model

  12. 9. Summary • The standard derivation of precession velocity of a heavy spinning top released from rest is incomplete (the external torque cannot start the precession) • The above top necessarily “falls”; i.e. dips from the horizontal, since angular momentum in the y-z plane is conserved (the external torque at t= 0 is perpendicular to that plane) • The dip angle is simply related to the precession velocity; both can be measured accurately using teaching quality equipment • The experiment and analysis described in this work can easily be incorporated into a junior type lab for the physics and engineering major

  13. 10. References • R. A. Serway, Physics for Scientists and Engineers, 6th. ed. (Thomson/Brooks/Cole 2009), p. 350 • R. Feynman, R. Leighton and M. Sands,The Feynman Lectures in Physics vol.1,(CIT 1963), p. 20-7 • M. S. Tiersten et al. “Propagation of a Feynman error on real and inertial forces in rotating systems”, Am. J. Phys. 66 (1998) • Tuleja et al. “Feynman’s Wobbling Plate,” Am. J. Phys. 75, 240 (2007) • Butikov E., “Forced Precession of a Gyroscope “ 2006 http://www.ifmo.ru/butikov/Applets/Gyroscope.html • S. Kostov and D. Hammer, “A Lab for Exploring the Precession and Nutation of a Gyroscope”, AAPT Advanced Labs, www.compadre.org/advlabs

More Related