Manuscript on elementary rigid-body dynamics

[vanhees71]

In view of questions occurring from time to time in this forum, I've written an elementary introduction to rigid-body dynamics (mostly about the force-free and the heavy symmetric top). I hope, it's of some use:

https://itp.uni-frankfurt.de/~hees/pf-faq/spinning-top.pdf

 

[wrobel]

Nice text. As for section "The heavy symmetric top" what about to consider the cases $p_\psi=\pm p_\varphi$.
Perhaps it would also be good to stress that the Euler angles are correctly defined when $\theta\ne 0\pmod{\pi}$

 

[vanhees71]

That's an interesting case, I guess. I'll have a look at it. I've put a sentence concerning the non-uniqueness of the Euler angles for $\vartheta \in \{0,\pi\}$.