First, let's look at the big disk as it spins.
Disk's moment of inertia around its center I = disk ang vel disk ang vel disk ang momentum direction (RPM) (rad/s) (g*cm2/s) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 200 320 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now, consider the gravitational forces on the four components of this device. That force on each component produces a torque around the pivot point.
component formula for torque value of torque direction around pivot around pivot (g*cm2/s2) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- disk weight 1 weight 2 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sum so far weight 3 ============================================================================== total
The total torque on the device causes its angular momentum to change its DIRECTION. The gyroscope starts to rotate around the pivot point. How long does it take for the device to complete one full revolution?
disk ang vel disk ang momentum dφ/dt Period (RPM) (g*cm2/s) (rad/s) (s) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 200 320 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------