Conservative motion of a discrete, dodecahedral gyroscope
A gyroscope is simulated as a discrete, rigid body in rotation by introduction of a molecular mechanics type formulation. The model incorporates the popular engineering lumped mass technique, so that molecules are aggregated into particles at the vertices. The conservative dynamical differential equations are solved numerically in such a fashion that all the system invariants continue to be invariants. A variety of examples are described and discussed, revealing precession and nutation. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
conservative motion gyroscope numerical simulation