2064. Determination of Principal Axes Using Complex Numbers
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Paper
Abstract
This paper was written to document the complex number method for solving the principal axis cubic equation. This is the simplest non iterative method, and it is well suited for use in mass properties software. There has been some speculation in the industry that this method is not viable in software applications because the FORTRAN complex number routines do not always return correct answers. The FORTRAN routines can return correct answers all the time if the user makes use of Reimann surfaces to keep track of location on the complex plane. This paper will go through the kinetics calculations to determine the principal axis cubic equation, and then it will discuss the complex number operations necessary to actually solve for the principal inertias. A listing of an example program that performs all the necessary calculations will also be included.
