Foucault pendulum
Earth-spin proof device
A Foucault pendulum is a heavy weight suspended from a long wire that swings in a fixed plane while the Earth rotates beneath it, visibly demonstrating the planet's rotation.
Named after French physicist Léon Foucault, who first displayed one in Paris in 1851.
Large versions hang in science museums worldwide, where floor markings show the pendulum's plane gradually shifting over hours.
Repeated back-and-forth movement
- precessionRotating axis gradually reorients
- inertiaResistance to altered motion
- Coriolis effectApparent deflection on rotating bodies
- rotationTurning on an axis
angular momentum · period · amplitude · harmonic motion · restoring force · damping · gravitational force · pivot point
Item publicly displayed
- museumPublic exhibit space
- science centerEducational attraction with exhibits
- installationProcess of putting in
- swingSuspended recreational seat
display · educational · interactive · visualization · illustration · planetarium · rotunda · suspended
Proof from measurable observation
- verificationProving something accurate
- confirmationEstablishing something as true
- demonstrationPublic display of opinion
- validationConfirming truth or accuracy
scientific evidence · observable · conclusive · irrefutable · 1851 · Paris · heliocentric
Device displaying time
- horologyTimekeeping science and craft
- escapementTick-controlling clock component
- chronometerPrecision timekeeping instrument
- timekeepingMeasuring duration's passage
oscillator · mechanical clock · regularity · beat · clockwork
oscillation
Repeated back-and-forth movement
- precessionRotating axis gradually reorients
- inertiaResistance to altered motion
- Coriolis effectApparent deflection on rotating bodies
rotation · angular momentum · period · amplitude · harmonic motion · restoring force · damping · gravitational force · pivot point · conservation of momentum
exhibit
Item publicly displayed
- museumPublic exhibit space
- science centerEducational attraction with exhibits
- installationProcess of putting in
swing · display · educational · interactive · visualization · illustration · planetarium · rotunda · suspended · wire
empirical evidence
Proof from measurable observation
- verificationProving something accurate
- confirmationEstablishing something as true
- demonstrationPublic display of opinion
validation · scientific evidence · observable · conclusive · irrefutable · 1851 · Paris · heliocentric
clock
Device displaying time
- horologyTimekeeping science and craft
- escapementTick-controlling clock component
- chronometerPrecision timekeeping instrument
timekeeping · oscillator · mechanical clock · regularity · beat · clockwork
- oscillatorsoscillator, balance wheel, local oscillator, LFO, NCO
- Pendulums
- physics labcircuit, magnet, inclined plane, pulley, lever
- Earthearth, Earth, globe, continent, axis
- gravitygravity, graviton, gravity well, gravitational pull, gravity wave
- rotational mechanicsangular momentum, moment of inertia, rotational motion, torque, rotational axis
Foucault pendulumclock pendulum
Oscillating timekeeping weight
grandfather clock · metronome · escapement mechanism · cuckoo clock · pendulum clock