Undergrad Demo of spinning object flipping its axis (intermediate axis theorem)

[Swamp Thing]

This video demonstrates the Dzhanibekov effect (instability when spinning arround the intermediate axis).



In order to achieve the best results, is it better for the three MoI's to be close together, or for them to have widely differing values?

 

[robphy]

Here's a related video.
There are references in the description:


https://mathoverflow.net/questions/...cise-in-mechanics-or-fiction-explain-mathemat

(On a side note, I've been interested in the analog of the intermediate axis theorem for an n-dimensional rigid object.)