Axial Precession and Angle of a Spinning Disc

Abstract

The relationship between the angle of a spinning glass disc and its rate of axial precession was investigated. The spinning disc was recorded with a high-speed camera and the angle and rate of precession of the disc determined using video analysis. The behaviour of the disc was compared with a theoretical model. It was found that the rate of axial precession of the real disc deviated slightly from the predictions of the theoretical model.