logo

Video encyclopedia

Precession

3:49

Gyroscopic Precession

3:06

Precession of the earth

3:28

Gyroscopic precession -- An intuitive explanation

3:14

Precession of Earth

1:46

PRECESSION.avi

Precession is a change in the orientation of the rotational axis of a rotating body. In an appropriate reference frame it can be defined as a change in the first Euler angle, whereas the third Euler angle defines the rotation itself. In other words, if the axis of rotation of a body is itself rotating about a second axis, that body is said to be precessing about the second axis. A motion in which the second Euler angle changes is called nutation. In physics, there are two types of precession: torque-free and torque-induced.
    • Torque-free 

    • Torque-induced 

    • Astronomy