MadSci Network: Physics
Query:

Subject: Where does the energy for gyroscopic precession come from?

Date: Fri Feb 1 21:00:47 2008
Posted by Ram
Grade level: nonaligned School: No school entered.
City: Palo Alto State/Province: CA Country: USA
Area of science: Physics
ID: 1201924847.Ph
Message:

I have a few unanswered questions about gyroscopic precession.  I looked 
thought the archive but I haven’t found anything that directly answers my 
question.  I understand if you spin up a gyroscope, put It down at an angle, 
its axis will precess around in a cone.  I further understand (and correct me 
if I am wrong about this) that in a completely frictionless environment it 
will precess forever around its center of mass.  This strikes me as similar to 
a spinning an object in space. Spin it once and it goes forever baring 
friction and outside influence.  However in the case of the gyroscope where 
does the initial energy come from to start in precessing?  Does it tilt 
slightly more upon release thereby lowering its center of mass and make use of 
some potential energy?  Does the gyroscope itself reduce speed slightly? 
 If we assume one of these things is true than it would seem the energy would 
have to go somewhere once the gyroscope stops precessing. For instance say we 
built a half circular frictionless tack that is the correct height such that 
it supports the gyroscope once it gets to it, without lifting it. Now, when 
the gyroscope reaches the track it should stop precessing because there is no 
longer a tilting force applied to it. However if the gyrocope initially 
derived energy for precession from a slight drop or a decrease in rotation, 
does the reverse happen? It would seem that it could not rise back up because 
then it would then have a tilting force again. Does the gyroscope gain 
rotational speed?



Re: Where does the energy for gyroscopic precession come from?

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