Conservative motion of discrete, tetrahedral tops and gyroscopes

Tetrahedral tops and gyroscopes are simulated as discrete, rigid bodies in rotation by introducing a molecular mechanics formulation. The model uses the popular engineering lumped mass technique, so that molecules are aggregated into particles at the vertices. The conservative, dynamical differential equations are solved numerically in such a fashion that all the system invariants are preserved. Examples which include precession and nutation are described and discussed. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.