Epicyclic motion and precession

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the concept of precession in relation to rotational motion. The original poster questions whether rotating while moving in a circular path constitutes precession, asserting that angular momentum remains constant. Participants clarify that true precession involves a change in angular momentum due to torque, specifically referencing torque-induced precession and distinguishing it from torque-free precession. The consensus is that simply rotating without a change in angular momentum does not qualify as precession.

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  • Understanding of angular momentum and its conservation
  • Familiarity with the concepts of torque and its effects on rotational motion
  • Knowledge of gyroscopic motion and precession
  • Basic principles of rotational dynamics
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  • Study the principles of torque-induced precession in gyroscopes
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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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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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