Introduction to Classical Mechanics · Problem 9.33

Angular momentum, Part II (General L) — Morin

Physics — Mechanics · tennis-racket-theorem-energy

Problem

Problem 9.14 gives the statement of the ``tennis racket theorem,'' and the solution there involves Euler's equations. Demonstrate the theorem here by writing down the conservation of L2L^2 and conservation of EE statements and then using them in the following way. Produce an equation that says that if ω2\omega_2 and ω3\omega_3 (or ω1\omega_1 and ω2\omega_2) start small, then they must remain small. And produce the analogous equation that says that if ω1\omega_1 and ω3\omega_3 start small, then they need not remain small. (It's another matter to show that they actually won't remain small. But let's not worry about that here. Anything that can happen generally does happen in physics.)

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