Philosophy
A couple of weeks ago we saw an awesome optical illusion created by a series of pendulums of gradually increasing length. Today we focus on a single pendulum, Foucault's pendulum, and the incredible insights (scientific and philosophical) that it can reveal.
The idea behind this kind of pendulum is quite simple: if you simply release it so that gravity does all the work, a pendulum will swing back and forth in a straight line. Foucault took this simple fact about pendulums and used it to prove empirically that the Earth rotates on its own axis: because the pendulum really does swing back and forth in a straight line and the Earth rotates below it as usual, the pendulum should produce the illusion of slowly rotating around the plane of the Earth, but that's just an illusion created by our point of view, being as we are, standing on a rotating planet!
But the awesomeness doesn't stop there. Because Foucault's pendulum is an instrument to measure rotation, you can always ask what the rotation is relative to... and then things can get spooky, as Darmouth physics professor Jim LaBelle explains:
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In the past, we've learned a few awesome things about pendulum waves and about the physics and philosophical questions raised by Foucault's pendulum, but there are plenty of other simple objects and experiments that can teach us fascinating and...
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Philosophy
Foucault's Pendulum
A couple of weeks ago we saw an awesome optical illusion created by a series of pendulums of gradually increasing length. Today we focus on a single pendulum, Foucault's pendulum, and the incredible insights (scientific and philosophical) that it can reveal.The idea behind this kind of pendulum is quite simple: if you simply release it so that gravity does all the work, a pendulum will swing back and forth in a straight line. Foucault took this simple fact about pendulums and used it to prove empirically that the Earth rotates on its own axis: because the pendulum really does swing back and forth in a straight line and the Earth rotates below it as usual, the pendulum should produce the illusion of slowly rotating around the plane of the Earth, but that's just an illusion created by our point of view, being as we are, standing on a rotating planet!
But the awesomeness doesn't stop there. Because Foucault's pendulum is an instrument to measure rotation, you can always ask what the rotation is relative to... and then things can get spooky, as Darmouth physics professor Jim LaBelle explains:
.
- Dying Malls
Heard a story on NPR that retailers are optimistic about the resurgence of malls. Not sure if I share the feeling. Several of the malls around me are eerily empty, both of shoppers and stores. Malls that had been central locations in the community are...
- Slinky Physics
In the past, we've learned a few awesome things about pendulum waves and about the physics and philosophical questions raised by Foucault's pendulum, but there are plenty of other simple objects and experiments that can teach us fascinating and...
- Pendulum Waves
Pendulums have been around for a very long time, at least since the 1st century, when the Chinese polymath Zhang Heng used one to build what is widely considered to be the very first seismometer in history. The rigorous and scientific study of the properties...
- Ideomotor Phenomenon And The Good Ole Ouija Board
"How the ouija board really moves" by Tom Stafford July 30th, 2013 BBC NEWS The mystery isn’t a connection to the spirit world, but why we can make movements and yet not realise that we're making them. Ouija board cups and dowsing wands – just...
- Mr. Wizard To Walter Lewin
"Walter Lewin is 'hands on' helping students grasp physics" Whether it's swinging on a pendulum or riding a rocket tricycle, the former MIT professor, now on YouTube, finds different ways to assist students as they study the laws of physics....