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powerball
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How does axis of rotation of a gyroscope alter from the geodetic and framedragging effects... and why is the axis pointing in a constant direction in the first place?
Originally posted by powerball
How does axis of rotation of a gyroscope alter from the geodetic and framedragging effects...
Conservation of angular momentum. Why would it not?and why is the axis pointing in a constant direction in the first place?
Geodetic and frame-dragging effects are two phenomena predicted by Einstein's theory of general relativity. Geodetic effect refers to the curvature of spacetime caused by the Earth's mass, which affects the motion of objects in its vicinity. Frame-dragging effect, also known as Lense-Thirring effect, is the dragging of space and time around a rotating massive object, which causes a rotation of the reference frame itself.
The geodetic and frame-dragging effects cause a precession of the gyroscope's axis of rotation, meaning that the axis of the gyroscope will slowly rotate around a fixed point in space. This is due to the curvature of spacetime caused by the Earth's mass and its rotation, which affects the gyroscope's motion.
The gyroscope is used to measure geodetic and frame-dragging effects by comparing the expected precession of the gyroscope's axis of rotation, based on the Earth's mass and rotation, with the actual measured precession. Any deviation between the two can be attributed to the geodetic and frame-dragging effects.
Geodetic and frame-dragging effects are very small and can only be observed in extreme cases, such as near a massive object like a black hole. In everyday life, these effects are negligible and cannot be observed.
The geodetic and frame-dragging effects provide evidence for the validity of Einstein's theory of general relativity, which describes gravity as the curvature of spacetime. These effects also help us understand the complex interactions between massive objects and their effects on the fabric of spacetime.