Gyroscopes and the nature of precession

by Richard Underwood

Submitted : Spring 2017

Precession is a fascinating and unintuitive natural occurrence that effects our everyday lives. The Earth completes one full precession every 26,000 years which effects the seasons. More direct effects include the use of precession in our smart phones as well as its use in “auto pilot” systems. It is fundamental in places where magnetic compasses will not work such as in space or when enclosed in the steel hull of a submarine. For this project, I will display precession horizontally and derive an equation for the angular precession speed.

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