Epicyclic motion and precession

In summary, the conversation discusses the concept of precession and its various forms. The speaker describes their understanding of precession and questions whether a circular path while spinning on one's axis falls under the category of precession. They also mention the different types of precession and seek clarification on the concept.
  • #1
warfreak131
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Imagine I am standing but not moving forward/backward, but I am rotating my body about my own axis. Now imagine if I moved in a circular path as I was spinning on my own axis. Is this considered to be precessing (assuming the axis of rotations are always in the z direction)?

My friend says it is, but I disagree. Wouldn't I always have the same angular momentum? And torque induced precession requires a change in L? Now I know there is a torque-free precession, but I didn't quite understand it. Can someone clear this up?
 
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  • #2
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precession

If you are standing straight there is no axial precession; precession induces a wobble in the axis of a gyroscope.

So your friend is wrong - unless he means something else by the term precession.
 
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1. What is epicyclic motion?

Epicyclic motion is a type of circular motion where the center of rotation itself is also moving along a larger circle. This results in a combination of rotational and translational motion.

2. What is the difference between epicyclic motion and simple circular motion?

In simple circular motion, the object rotates around a fixed point. In epicyclic motion, the center of rotation itself is moving, resulting in a more complex motion.

3. What are the applications of epicyclic motion?

Epicyclic motion is commonly seen in planetary orbits, as well as in the gears of machinery where it can provide a compact and efficient method of achieving different speeds and directions of rotation.

4. What is precession in relation to epicyclic motion?

Precession is the gradual change in the orientation of the axis of rotation of an object. In the case of epicyclic motion, this can occur as a result of the secondary circular motion of the center of rotation.

5. How is epicyclic motion related to the concept of angular momentum?

Epicyclic motion is a result of the conservation of angular momentum, as the rotational motion of the object is affected by the motion of its center of rotation. This is because the total angular momentum of a system remains constant unless acted upon by an external torque.

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