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Everything about Precession
Periodic change in the direction of a rotation axis
Precession is a change in the orientation of the rotational axis of a rotating body. 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. 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. 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. Wikipedia →
🧭 Start here: a 6-step reading path
- Read the overview: PrecessionA 5-minute orientation
- Skim a recent paper: General-relativistic precession in a black-hole binaryInfluential work since 2022
- Pick up a classic book: Recherches sur la précession des equinoxes, et sur la nutation de l'axe de la terre, dans le systême NewtonienThe most-reprinted book on the subject
- Read the landmark paper: Effects of Diffusion on Free Precession in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance ExperimentsCited 5,905 times
- Go sideways: Rotation around a fixed axisA closely related topic
- Go sideways: PolhodeA closely related topic
📖 Definitions
Noun Precedence.
Noun The wobbling motion of the axis of a spinning body when there is an external force acting on the axis.
Noun The slow gyration of the earth's axis around the pole of the ecliptic, caused mainly by the gravitational torque of the sun and moon.
Noun Any of several slow changes in an astronomical body's rotational or orbital parameters.
🗂️ The subject at a glance
🏆 Landmark papers (most cited)
Effects of Diffusion on Free Precession in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Experiments
Electronic spin transport and spin precession in single graphene layers at room temperature
Theta phase precession in hippocampal neuronal populations and the compression of temporal sequences
Precession of the Polarization of Particles Moving in a Homogeneous Electromagnetic Field
Normalized Left Ventricular Systolic and Diastolic Function by Steady State Free Precession Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance
Lense-Thirring Precession and Quasi-periodic Oscillations in Low-Mass X-Ray Binaries
Electrical detection of spin precession in a metallic mesoscopic spin valve
Larmor precession and the traversal time for tunneling
🆕 Influential since 2022
General-relativistic precession in a black-hole binary
New twists in compact binary waveform modeling: A fast time-domain model for precession
Curious case of GW200129: Interplay between spin-precession inference and data-quality issues
Eccentricity or spin precession? Distinguishing subdominant effects in gravitational-wave data
Orbital motion and quasi-periodic oscillations with periastron and Lense–Thirring precession of slowly rotating Einstein–Æther black hole
📚 Books worth reading
Recherches sur la précession des equinoxes, et sur la nutation de l'axe de la terre, dans le systême NewtonienJean Le Rond d'Alembert · 1749
Über die Theorie des KreiselsFelix Klein · 1897
The cause of the supposed proper motion of the fixed stars and an explanation of the apparent acceleration of the moon's mean motionAlfred Wilks Drayson · 1874- 📕Über die Theorie des KreiselsFelix Klein · 1897
Problems of rotary motion presented by the gyroscope, the precession of the equinoxes, and the pendulumJohn Gross Barnard · 1873- 📕A new determination of the precessional constant with the resulting precessional motionsSimon Newcomb · 1898
- 📕Mémoire sur cette questionThomas Henri Martin · 1869
- 📕The death of gods in ancient EgyptJane B. Sellers · 1992
Ranked by number of editions on Open Library, a rough measure of how lasting a book is.
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