Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Precession More

Continuing from the post "Precession Under Zero Gravity" with precession, it is interesting that when the spinning disc is precess-ing in the anti-clockwise direction with a velocity component out of the paper shown in the diagram below,


a force, \(F_{gB}\) is created that lifts the disc towards the vertical axis.  The vertical component of  \(F_{gB}\) acts against gravity and is the force that keeps the spinning disc from toppling over.  The horizontal component of \(F_{gB}\) is the centripetal force that spins the disc about the verticle axis.  An anti gravity-stunt. This precession anti-clockwise was due to a tendency to drop under gravity in the first place (post "Precession Under Zero Gravity").

When the disc is made to precess in a clockwise direction, ie a velocity component into the paper as shown below,


a force \(F_{gB}\) develops that causes the disc to drop further away from the vertical axis.

In both cases,

\(F_{gB}=\pi v\times g_{B}\)  per unit mass.

This force is a due to \(g_{B}\), the \(B\) field analogue of gravity and velocity \(v\), transversing \(g_{B}\).

When the disc is spinning vertically, its axis in the horizontal position, and made to precess in the anti-clockwise direction, we may have an anti-gravity device,

where \(F_{gB}\) acts against gravity vertically.