What is the minimum gyroscope speed to yield force precession?

Click For Summary
The discussion centers on determining the minimum speed of a gyroscope required for a force applied at 0 degrees to produce movement at 90 degrees, with the consensus that any non-zero speed will create this 90-degree offset for small input torques. The visibility of the precession effect is influenced by the initial angular momentum relative to the input torque. A user noted that they did not observe precession with a box fan, leading to questions about the fan's mass and design. It was explained that the moment of inertia, which affects precession, depends on both mass and its distribution, along with potential aerodynamic effects from the fan. Overall, the conversation highlights the complexities of gyroscopic motion and factors influencing precession.
richengle
Messages
26
Reaction score
1
Does anyone know what the minimum speed of a gyro to make it so a force at 0deg will yield a movement at 90deg... or even better, what the angle is wrt speed... see http://www.copters.com/aero/gyro.html for pictures.
-thx,
rich
 
Physics news on Phys.org
richengle said:
Summary:: min gyro speed to yield force precession

Does anyone know what the minimum speed of a gyro to make it so a force at 0deg will yield a movement at 90deg... or even better, what the angle is wrt speed... see http://www.copters.com/aero/gyro.html for pictures.
Any non zero speed will have the 90deg offset for a small input torque



While the offset is always 90 deg, the noticeably of the procession effect depends on initial angular momentum vs. input torque.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Likes Lnewqban
A.T. said:
Any non zero speed will have the 90deg offset for a small input torque



While the offset is always 90 deg, the noticeably of the procession effect depends on initial angular momentum vs. input torque.

thanks, that explains a bike wheel. but i tried it with a fan, and didnt notice any precession. is it because it has less mass?
 
richengle said:
thanks, that explains a bike wheel. but i tried it with a fan, and didnt notice any precession. is it because it has less mass?
The moment of inertia depends on the mass and its distribution. With a fan you additionally have aerodynamic effects.
 
richengle said:
thanks, that explains a bike wheel. but i tried it with a fan, and didnt notice any precession. is it because it has less mass?
What kind of fan did you use?
 
Lnewqban said:
What kind of fan did you use?
box fan
 
For fun I was trying to use energy considerations to determine the depth to which a solid object will sink in a fluid to reach equilibrium. The first approach that I tried was just to consider the change in potential energy of the block and the fluid as the block is lowered some unknown distance d into the fluid similar to what is shown in the answer to this post. Upon taking the limit as the vessel's cross sectional area approaches infinity I have an extra factor of 2 in the equilibrium...
Some physics textbook writer told me that Newton's first law applies only on bodies that feel no interactions at all. He said that if a body is on rest or moves in constant velocity, there is no external force acting on it. But I have heard another form of the law that says the net force acting on a body must be zero. This means there is interactions involved after all. So which one is correct?