Poinsot's ellipsoid

Angular kinetic energy constraint

The law of conservation of energy implies that in the absence of energy dissipation or applied torques, the angular kinetic energy T   is conserved, so d T d t = 0 .

The angular kinetic energy may be expressed in terms of the moment of inertia tensor I and the angular velocity vector ω

where ω k   are the components of the angular velocity vector ω along the principal axes, and the I k   are the principal moments of inertia. Thus, the conservation of kinetic energy imposes a constraint on the three-dimensional angular velocity vector ω ; in the principal axis frame, it must lie on an ellipsoid, called inertia ellipsoid.

The ellipsoid axes values are the half of the principal moments of inertia. The path traced out on this ellipsoid by the angular velocity vector ω is called the polhode (coined by Poinsot from Greek roots for "pole path") and is generally circular or taco-shaped.

Angular momentum constraint

The law of conservation of angular momentum states that in the absence of applied torques, the angular momentum vector L is conserved in an inertial reference frame, so d L d t = 0 .

The angular momentum vector L can be expressed in terms of the moment of inertia tensor I and the angular velocity vector ω

which leads to the equation

Since the dot product of ω and L is constant, and L itself is constant, the angular velocity vector ω has a constant component in the direction of the angular momentum vector L . This imposes a second constraint on the vector ω ; in absolute space, it must lie on an invariable plane defined by its dot product with the conserved vector L . The normal vector to the invariable plane is aligned with L . The path traced out by the angular velocity vector ω on the invariable plane is called the herpolhode (coined from Greek roots for "serpentine pole path").

The herpolhode is generally an open curve, which means that the rotation does not perfectly repeat, but the polhode is a closed curve.

Tangency condition and construction

These two constraints operate in different reference frames; the ellipsoidal constraint holds in the (rotating) principal axis frame, whereas the invariable plane constant operates in absolute space. To relate these constraints, we note that the gradient vector of the kinetic energy with respect to angular velocity vector ω equals the angular momentum vector L

Hence, the normal vector to the kinetic-energy ellipsoid at ω is proportional to L , which is also true of the invariable plane. Since their normal vectors point in the same direction, these two surfaces will intersect tangentially.

Taken together, these results show that, in an absolute reference frame, the instantaneous angular velocity vector ω is the point of intersection between a fixed invariable plane and a kinetic-energy ellipsoid that is tangent to it and rolls around on it without slipping. This is Poinsot's construction.

Derivation of the polhodes in the body frame

In the principal axis frame (which is rotating in absolute space), the angular momentum vector is not conserved even in the absence of applied torques, but varies as described by Euler's equations. However, in the absence of applied torques, the magnitude L   of the angular momentum and the kinetic energy T   are both conserved

where the L k   are the components of the angular momentum vector along the principal axes, and the I k   are the principal moments of inertia.

These conservation laws are equivalent to two constraints to the three-dimensional angular momentum vector L . The kinetic energy constrains L to lie on an ellipsoid, whereas the angular momentum constraint constrains L to lie on a sphere. These two surfaces intersect in taco-shaped curves that define the possible solutions for L .

This construction differs from Poinsot's construction because it considers the angular momentum vector L rather than the angular velocity vector ω . It appears to have been developed by Jacques Philippe Marie Binet.

Special Case

In the general case of rotation of an unsymmetric body, which has different values of the moment of inertia about the three principle axes, the rotational motion can be quite complex unless the body is rotating around the axis of maximum moment of inertia (stable rotation) or the axis of minimum moment of inertia (unstable rotation). The motion is simplified in the case of an axisymmetric body, in which the moment of inertia is the same about two of the principle axes. These cases include rotation of an prolate spheroid (the shape of an American football), or rotation of a oblate spheroid (the shape of a pancake). In this case, the angular velocity describes a cone, and the polhode is a circle. This analysis is applicable, for example, to the axial precession of the rotation of a planet (the case of an oblate spheroid.)

Applications

One of the applications of Poinsot's construction is in visualizing the rotation of a spacecraft in orbit.