Demonstrations

Foucault Pendulum

Code Number :	1E20.10
Disclaimer:	Reprinted by permission of Dick Berg, University of Maryland, for use on this website. The demonstrations contained and referenced herein are listed for the purposes of cataloging and describing physics demonstrations which should be conducted only under the direction of a trained instructional support professional or physicist. These demonstrations are not presented for the purpose of being conducted by persons unconnected to this Facility and/or persons not consulting with or being supervised by the recognized instructional support professional or physicist and his/her staff. The University is responsible only for those demonstrations carried out using its own equipment using established safety and scheduling policies, and bears no responsibility for those choosing to use this source material for their own purposes. All demonstrations described and contained herein are public domain, and can also be found in reference materials in libraries, bookstores, and electronic sources. Further information regarding legal liability in use of demonstrations and labs will be found on the web site Injuries in School/College Laboratories in USA. The University of Iowa Disclaimers: U of Iowa Disclaimer All Rights Reserved..
Condition :	Good
Principle :	Planes of Oscillation
Area of Study :	Mechanics
Equipment :	Rotating Air Table, Support Rods, Pendulum, Plexiglas Foucault Model for Overhead Projector, Book - "Pendulum", written by Amir D. Aczel.
Procedure :	Set the demonstration up as shown. The swing of the pendulum will have to be limited to the distance of the support rods. Works best if the demonstration is as level as possible. Consult the instruction booklet in the 1E20.10 File in the Mechanics Section before using the overhead model.

Web Sites

The Hadley Pendulum at Colorado State University

http://www.physics.colostate.edu/hadley_html

References

Manfred Euler and Gert Braun, "Hands-On Earth Rotation," TPT, Vol. 40, # 7, p. 432, (Oct 2002).

Alpha E. Wilson, "Foucault's Pendulum as Ellipse Tracer", TPT, Vol. 35, # 5, May 1997, p. 261.

Joseph D. Romano, "Foucault's Pendulum as a Sprirograph" TPT, Vol. 35, # 3, p. 182-183, (March 1997).

Haym Kruglak, "Foucault Pendulum Revisited" TPT, Vol. 35, # 4, p. 256, (April 1997).

John E. Horne, "Classroom Foucault Pendulum," TPT, Vol. 34, # 4, p. 238- 239, (April 1996).

Charles A. Eckroth, "Astro Notes: A Simulated Foucault Pendulum," TPT, Vol. 34, # 7, p. 462, (Oct. 1996).

H. Richard Crane, "The Foucault Pendulum As a Murder Weapon and a Physicist's Delight," TPT, Vol. 28, # 5, p. 264, (May 1990).

Richard B. Minnix and D. Rae Carpenter Jr., "Apparatus for Teaching Physics: A Very Short, Portable Foucault Pendulum," TPT, Vol. 21, # 7, p. 477, (October 1983).

Haym Kruglak, "A Very Short, Portable Foucault Pendulum", TPT, Vol. 21, # 7, Oct. 1983, p. 477.

"How the Housefly Uses Physics to Stabilize Flight", TPT, Vol. 21, # 8, Nov. 1983, p. 544.

A. P. French, "Is g Really the Acceleration Due to Gravity?", TPT, Vol. 21, # 8, Nov. 1983, p. 528.

R. D. Edge, "Foucault Pendulum and the Coriolis Effect", TPT, Vol. 20, # 2, Feb. 1982, p. 116 - 117.

Scott McClatchey, Neal Flint, James H. Kraakevik, "A Sustained Demonstration Foucault Pendulum", TPT, Vol. 19, # 2, Feb. 1981, p. 134.

Byron E. Leonard, "A Short Foucault Pendulum for Corridor Display", TPT, Vol. 19, # 6, Sept. 1981, p. 421.

Gary E. Young, Anthony P. French, "The Foucault Pendulum", TPT, Vol. 16, # 1, Jan. 1978, p. 61.

Francis Lestingi, Projection Foucault Pendulum", TPT, Vol. 12, # 5, May 1974, p. 311.

John B. Hart, et. al., "A Simple Geometric Model for Visualizing the Motion of a Foucault Pendulum.," AJP, 67, Vol. 55, No. 1, (January 1987).

Fig. 8 & 9, AJP, 1014, Vol. 55, No. 11, (November 1987).

E. C. Reynhardt et. al., "A Modified Foucault Pendulum for a Corridor Exhibit," AJP, p. 759, Vol. 54, No. 8, (August 1986).

Wallace A. Hilton, "The Foucault Pendulum: A Corridor Demonstration", AJP, Vol. 46, (4), Apr. 1978, p. 436.

Haym Kruglak, Larry Oppliger, Rene Pittet, and Stanley Steele, "A Short Foucault Pendulum for a Hallway Exhibit", AJP, Vol. 46, (4), Apr. 1978, p. 438.

Michitoshi Soga, "Precessional Periods of Long and Short Foucault Pendulums", AJP, Vol. 46, (7), July 1978, p. 725.

Jacques Renault, "Investigating the Physical Nature of the Coriolis Effects in the Fixed Frame," AJP, Vol. 45, # 7, July 1977, p. 631.

David R. Curott, "The Role of the Constraining Force in a Foucault Pendulum", AJP, Vol. 40, # 7, July 1972, p. 1007.

Mz- 6, 7: Freier and Anderson, A Demonstration Handbook for Physics.

S- 035: "Foucault Pendulum Model," DICK and RAE Physics Demo Notebook.

M- 209: Richard Manliffe Sutton, Demonstration Experiments in Physics.

Cunningham and Herr, "2.4.4: Foucault Pendulum," Hands-On Physics Activities with Real Life Applications, p. 102.

Gerard L'E Turner, "Nineteenth-Century Scientific Instruments," p. 74

121-122: Janice VanCleave, 201 Awesome, Magical, Bizarre, & Incredible Experiments.

Physics Demonstration Experiments: In Two Volumes, p. 299- 305, 592- 594.

# 130, Rotation, Janice VanCleave's 203 Icy, Freezing, Frosty, Cool, and Wild Experiments.

Robert P. Crease, "Seeing The Earth Rotate: Foucault's Sublime Pendulum", The Prism & The Pendulum, Ch. 7, p. 126 - 139.

Mail Questions and Comments to: Dale Stille