Related papers: The Precessing Top
We analyze the angular momentum balance for a particle undergoing Thomas precession. The relationships among relativistic torque, the center of mass, and the center of inertia for a spinning particle are clarified. We show that spin…
We present an analysis of the motion of a simple torsion pendulum and we describe how, with straightforward extensions to the usual basic dynamical model, we succeed in explaining some unexpected features we found in our data, like the…
Taking up a method devised by Taylor and Wheeler and collecting pieces of their work we offer a self-contained derivation of the formulae giving both the precession of the orbit of a planet around the Sun and the deflection angle of a light…
In order to find a law characterising the decrease of velocity along a jet, five analytical methods are suggested. The first two simple models examine the variation of velocity in the presence of Newton's or Stoke's resistance. The equation…
Small oscillations of a heavy symmetric top are studied when magnitudes of conserved angular momenta are equal to each other. Results show that the small oscillation approximation can be used in these cases.
"Why does not a spinning top collapse?" is a puzzling question. Standard solution using angular momentum and torque is not intuitive enough. Thus intuitive explanations for the question have been proposed. We provide scaffolding for an…
We consider the motion of a particle on a surface which is a small perturbation of the standard sphere. One may qualitatively describe the motion by means of a precessing great circle of the sphere. The observation is employed to derive a…
This paper investigates the spin precession of test particles moving in the equatorial plane of general stationary and axisymmetric spacetimes using the Mathisson-Papapetrou-Dixon equations. The spin precession angles for two cases, the…
We analyze the frictionless motion of a point-like particle that slides under gravity on an inverted conical surface. This motion is studied for arbitrary initial conditions and a general relation, valid within 13%, between the periods of…
Using elementary geometric tools, we apply essentially the same methods to derive expressions for the rotation angle of the swing plane of Foucault's pendulum and the rotation angle of the spin of a relativistic particle moving in a…
We present a detailed analysis of random motions moving in higher spaces with a natural number of velocities. In the case of the so-called minimal random dynamics, under some wide assumptions, we show the joint distribution of the position…
We conjecture that the random walk and the corresponding diffusion in the relativistic velocity space is an adequate method for describing the acceleration process in relativistic jets. Considering a simple toy model, the main features of…
We study the apsidal precession of a Physical Symmetrical Pendulum (Allais' precession) as a generalization of the precession corresponding to the Ideal Spherical Pendulum (Airy's Precession). Based on the Hamilton-Jacobi formalism and…
We investigate the impact velocity beyond which the ejection of smaller droplets from the main droplet (splashing) occurs for droplets impacting a smooth surface. We examine its dependence on the surface wetting properties and droplet…
We discuss the problem of defining the center of mass in general relativity and the so-called spin supplementary condition. The different spin conditions in the literature, their physical significance, and the momentum-velocity relation for…
Exact and simple calculation of Thomas rotation and Thomas precessions along a circular world line is presented in an absolute (coordinate-free) formulation of special relativity. Besides the simplicity of calculations the absolute…
The aim of this paper is to analyze a class of random motions which models the motion of a particle on the real line with random velocity and subject to the action of the friction. The speed randomly changes when a Poissonian event occurs.…
The motion of a handle spinning in space has an odd behavior. It seems to unexpectedly flip back and forth in a periodic manner as seen in a popular YouTube video. As an asymmetrical top, its motion is completely described by the Euler…
In the first part of the article using a direct calculation two-dimensional motion of a particle sliding on an inclined plane is investigated for general values of friction coefficient ($\mu$). A parametric equation for the trajectory of…
This article aims to answer the question, "What is the simplest system that embodies the essence of Foucault's pendulum?" We study a very elementary idealized system that exhibits a precession behavior analogous to the classic pendulum. The…