The Gyroscope.

[Raptor]

I'm sure many of us have played with gyroscopes when we were young. These little contraptions are fascinating demonstrations of physics concepts, such as moment of inertia and torque. I have been messing around with mine, and I have a few questions to ask for those of you who are experts at physics. Would a gyroscope precess if there are no external force applied on it? Suppose we have frictionless bearings and zero wind resistance, and a force is applied on the axis of rotation. Would the gyroscope precess? Would there be gyroscopic forces resisting the applied force?

Suppose I try to change the orientation of a gyroscope. How do I calculate the gyroscopic force based on the applied force?