Relative difference between moment of inertia for the earth

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around the moment of inertia of the Earth, particularly in relation to its equatorial bulge and the implications for precession. The original poster is exploring the relationship between angular velocity and the distance between the spin axis and the precession axis.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to relate the precession velocity to the moment of inertia and questions the relevance of the angle theta in their calculations. Other participants seek clarification on the definition of the precession axis and the significance of the 10-meter distance mentioned.

Discussion Status

Participants are actively questioning the definitions and assumptions related to the precession axis and the angle theta. There is an ongoing exploration of the relationship between these variables and the original poster's formula, with no clear consensus reached yet.

Contextual Notes

There is uncertainty regarding the value of theta and its relevance to the problem, as well as the source of the 10-meter distance. The discussion is framed within the context of homework constraints, which may limit the depth of exploration.

zeralda21
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Homework Statement



The Earth is slightly thicker around the equator and hence $I_{0}\neq I_{\zeta}$ I am curious in finding the angular velocity for the **precession** between using the fact that the distance between the spin axis and the precession axis is 10 meters on the surface of earth.

The moment of inertia can be found here:

http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/physics/MomentofInertiaEarth.html



The Attempt at a Solution



I know that the precession velocity ##\dot{\psi}=\frac{Iv}{(I-I_{0})\cos\theta}##, where ##v## is the spin velocity and can we found using ##2\pi/T##,where ##T## is period time in seconds. I'm not sure about the magnitude of $\theta$ and if I can neglect it.
 
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zeralda21 said:
the fact that the distance between the spin axis and the precession axis is 10 meters on the surface of earth.
What is the precession axis?

zeralda21 said:
I'm not sure about the magnitude of $\theta$ and if I can neglect it.
What is theta supposed to be?
 
Theta is the angle between the spin axis and precession axis. Precession axis is the axis which the Earth precess about.
 
Isn't theta then equal to the tilt of the Earth's axis = 23.5 degrees?

How did you come up with 10m? And where did you get your formula?
 

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