>>10946297"The object is precessing, with zero total external torque. It's generally true that the rate of precession is high for small moment of inertia I, and small for high I. About an axis through the shaft, I is large. About an axis parallel to the handle, I is small.
i) While it is rotating with its shaft nearly parallel to the angular momentum L , its moment of inertia is large, so it precesses slowly. Hence this rotation state seems approximately stable (but in fact is slowly varying).
ii) Once the precession takes the long axis (the handle) nearly parallel to the angular momentum L, its moment of inertia about this axis is small, so it precesses rapidly. In fact the precession is so rapid that we hardly notice it: it seems to 'flip' rather quickly to the
iii) next state with its short axis (high I) nearly antiparallel to the angular momentum L, it precesses slowly so that this seems 'stable'.
I realise that this explanation uses technical terms, which require further explanation for some readers. On Physclips,my multimedia introduction to physics, I explain all these terms. (The search engines know Physclips.) "
Stolen from a Mr. Joe Wolfe, thanks Mr. Wolfe
