click here for the plus home page
© 1997-2004, Millennium Mathematics Project, University of Cambridge.
Permission is granted to print and copy this page on paper for non-commercial use. For other uses, including electronic redistribution, please contact us.
Careers with maths
icon

Rupa Patel reflects to Plus on her work as a financial engineer

A favourite from the archive...
icon

When we finally meet the Martians, John Conway believes they are going to want to talk mathematics.

Subscribe to our RSS feed:
AddThis Feed Button subscribe to our RSS feed
 
March 2008
Tags

moment of inertia

Feature icon

On the 25th of May 1997 a dramatic collision tore a hole into the space station Mir and sent it hurtling through space. As NASA astronaut Michael Foale tells Plus, the fate of Mir and its crew hinged on a classical set of equations.

Tags: space exploration : spin : astronomy : moment of inertia


Feature icon

In this article, we look at the physics behind the curved flight path of a returning boomerang, and explain that boomerangs are really a kind of gyroscope. We even show you how to bang up a boomerang yourself!

Tags: force : Gyroscope : angular force : moment of inertia : boomerang : circular motion : couple : precession