Home▸Physics & Mechanics▸Gyroscope Precession Simulator

🌀 Gyroscope Precession

Interactive 3D spinning top where adjusting spin rate and tilt angle shows gravitational torque causing the top's axis to precess in a cone instead of simply falling over.

Physics & Mechanics3DModerate60 FPS

A spinning top tilted from vertical does not fall — gravitational torque acting on a fast-spinning body redirects its angular momentum sideways, tracing a slow cone instead of collapsing straight down.

🔬 What It Demonstrates

Precession rate Ω is inversely proportional to spin rate ω: Ω ≈ mgr / (Iω). Faster spin means slower, tighter precession; more mass, more tilt-arm, or stronger gravity all speed it up.

🎮 How to Use

Adjust spin rate, tilt angle, mass, and gravity to see how each changes the precession cone. The blue arrow shows the instantaneous torque direction; the yellow trace traces the axis tip's circular path.

💡 Did You Know?

Earth's own axis precesses this way over a ~26,000-year cycle due to solar and lunar torque on its equatorial bulge — the same physics as a spinning top, just vastly slower.

⚙ Under the hood

Interactive 3D spinning top where changing spin rate and tilt angle shows how gravitational torque makes the spin axis precess and nutate around vertical.

gyroscopeprecessionnutationangular-momentumrotational-mechanicsphysics

3D · Three.js / WebGL renderer · 60 FPS target · runs fully client-side, no install