  While studying the motion of a heavy symmetric top, in general, constants of
motion are used. Some students may want to understand the motion in terms of
torque, which can lie on their routine based on the usage of Newton's second
law. However, this is not easy, and examples of this work will illustrate this
situation.
  In this work, first, we will show the equivalence of torque-angular momentum
relation and Euler equations for a heavy symmetric top which give the
description of the motion in terms of torque. Then, we will study some simple
motions of a heavy symmetric top in terms of torque, angular momentum, angular
velocities and accelerations, which can help students in understanding rigid
body rotations and the necessity of considering the motion of a heavy symmetric
top in terms of constants. We will also study Perry's historical observational
principle on the relation between precession and the rise of the top.
