On Fri, 14 July 2006 at 02:54 Joe Strout wrote:
........What I'm trying to do is understand why it is that a rotating
object in space has a strong tendency to rotate around the axis with
the greatest moment of inertia -- as happened to the Explorer I
satellite, for example: <http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi1332.htm>
I've gotten various hand-wavy explanations of this phenomenon, but I
don't feel I truly understand something until I can simulate it.
Starting with a known working simulation would help separate
problems of understanding from problems of implementation.
As I remember, a rigid body without internal energy dissipation can spin
stably about its axis of smallest or largest moment of inertia but not
an intermediate axis . However, if there is internal energy dissipation
(which there always is of course) it ends up spinning about the axis of
maximum inertia. Perhaps this could provide some insight into the
phenomenon.
I would be very interested in any simulation of 3D rigid-body dynamics
you may happen to find or make
Alan
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