Common questions

What are some examples of nutation?

What are some examples of nutation?

The act or an instance of nodding the head. A wobble in a spinning gyroscope or other rotating body. (astronomy) A small periodic irregularity in the precessional motion of the earth’s polar axis with respect to the pole of the ecliptic.

What is nutation of the earth?

Nutation, in astronomy, a small irregularity in the precession of the equinoxes. Precession is the slow, toplike wobbling of the spinning Earth, with a period of about 25,772 years. The British astronomer James Bradley announced his discovery of nutation in 1748.

What does nutation mean?

1 archaic : the act of nodding the head. 2 : oscillatory movement of the axis of a rotating body (such as the earth) : wobble. 3 : a spontaneous usually spiral movement of a growing plant part.

What is the process of nutation?

The movement of the sacrum between the ilia involves a nodding motion, known as nutation, which creates an anterior motion of the sacral promontory. Counternutation is the return to the neutral start position from a nutated position as well as a posterior motion of the sacral promontory.

How do you use nutation in a sentence?

Nutation sentence example This star was seen to possess an apparent motion similar to that which would be a consequence of the nutation of the earth’s axis; but since its declination varied only one half as much as in the case of y Draconis, it was obvious that nutation did not supply the requisite solution.

What does nutation mean in Latin?

Nutation (from Latin nūtātiō, “nodding, swaying”) is a rocking, swaying, or nodding motion in the axis of rotation of a largely axially symmetric object, such as a gyroscope, planet, or bullet in flight, or as an intended behaviour of a mechanism.

What is the importance of nutation?

Nutation subtly changes the axial tilt of Earth with respect to the ecliptic plane, shifting the major circles of latitude that are defined by the Earth’s tilt (the tropical circles and the polar circles).

What is the effect of nutation?

Astronomical nutation is a phenomenon which causes the orientation of the axis of rotation of a spinning astronomical object to vary over time. The effect of precession and nutation causes this frame of reference itself to change over time, relative to an arbitrary fixed frame.

What does nutation mean in medical terms?

irregular nodding or wobble
“nutation” which is the irregular nodding or wobble of a spinning body.

Is nutation anterior pelvic tilt?

Nutation is defined as a relative anterior tilt of the sacral base (upper flat surface of the sacrum that articulates with L5) in relation to the ilium (Figure 1). It is described as a relative movement because it can occur with the sacrum rotating anteriorly, the ilium rotating posteriorly, (or both).

What does precession mean in science?

Precession, phenomenon associated with the action of a gyroscope or a spinning top and consisting of a comparatively slow rotation of the axis of rotation of a spinning body about a line intersecting the spin axis. The smooth, slow circling of a spinning top is precession, the uneven wobbling is nutation.

What is nutation frequency?

Experiment description The nutation frequency is determined by means of a rotary motion sensor which is fitted to the gyroscope axis. In addition, the time of oscillation TN of the vertical component of the nutation motion of the gyroscope is measured, and from this the nutation frequency fN = 1/TN is calculated.

Which is the correct description of a nutation?

Nutation. If it is not caused by forces external to the body, it is called free nutation or Euler nutation. A pure nutation is a movement of a rotational axis such that the first Euler angle is constant. [citation needed] In spacecraft dynamics, precession (a change in the first Euler angle) is sometimes referred to as nutation.

What is the period and cause of nutation?

Precession is the slow, toplike wobbling of the spinning Earth, with a period of about 26,000 years. Nutation (Latin nutare, “to nod”) superimposes a small oscillation, with a period of 18.6 years and an amplitude of 9.2 seconds of arc, upon this great slow movement. The cause of nutation lies chiefly in the fact that the plane…

What’s the difference between free nutation and pure nutation?

Nutation. In an appropriate reference frame it can be defined as a change in the second Euler angle. If it is not caused by forces external to the body, it is called free nutation or Euler nutation. A pure nutation is a movement of a rotational axis such that the first Euler angle is constant.

What is the difference between precession and nutation?

Where precession, in terms of the angles used in this section, represents a change in θ, nutation is associated with a change in the tilt angle ϕ. It comes about in several cases, most commonly due to the action of a second force, and often results in a periodic motion (hence the name nutation, ‘nodding’).