What physical phenomenon causes the gyroscope axis to move in a circular path when an external force tilts it?
Answer
Gyroscopic precession
Gyroscopic precession is the counterintuitive reaction exhibited by a spinning object when an external force attempts to change the orientation of its axis of rotation. Instead of resisting the tilt directly along the axis of the applied force, the spinning mass generates a torque that acts ninety degrees away from the applied force. This results in the axis itself slowly traversing a circular path. This specific reaction is precisely what Léon Foucault leveraged in his 1852 experiment, observing this movement to visualize the Earth’s daily rotation over the nearly ten minutes the rotor remained spinning before friction stopped it.
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