Precession

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Precession:

The phenomenon in which a gyroscope responds to an applied force not at its point of application but 90° from that point, in the direction of rotation. Precession is a property of gyroscopes and is a result of their conservation of angular momentum. When a force is applied to a gyroscope, it causes a change in the direction of its axis of rotation. However, instead of moving in the direction of the applied force, the gyroscope’s axis begins to rotate around a different axis. This rotation is known as precession. The direction and rate of precession are determined by the direction and magnitude of the applied force and the angular momentum of the gyroscope. Precession is used in many practical applications, including navigation, stabilizing machines, and determining the orientation of structures and objects in space.

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