Gyroscopic Precession
What is gyroscopic precession?
Gyroscopic precession is a property of any spinning body (like a helicopter's main rotor or an aircraft propeller): when you apply a force to it, the maximum reaction shows up not where you pushed, but about 90° later in the direction of rotation. This is why a control input to a spinning rotor takes effect a quarter-turn around the disc from where it was applied. Think of it as: push here, but the effect happens 90° "downstream" in the spin direction.
Also known as: precession, gyroscopic action
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