Foucault pendulum

Foucault pendulum

n.

A simple pendulum suspended from a long wire and set into motion along a meridian. The plane of motion appears to turn clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere, demonstrating the axial rotation of the earth.

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[After Jean Bernard Léon Foucault.]

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Foucault pendulum

A pendulum suspended from a long wire, set into motion, and sustained in motion over long periods. Due to the axial rotation of the earth, the plane of motion of the pendulum shifts at a rate and direction dependent on its latitude, clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. At the poles the plane rotates once per day, while at the equator it does not rotate at all.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

Foucault pendulum - pendulum with a long wire; can swing in any direction; the change in the swing plane demonstrates the earth's rotation pendulum - an apparatus consisting of an object mounted so that it swings freely under the influence of gravity