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Maranatha High School. . . . Final Draft: The Foucault

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Maranatha High School

Final Draft: The Foucault Pendulum

Amanda Dundas (5)
Honors Algebra 2 (Group A)
Ms. Monica Chan
3 April 2017

Abstract

The Foucault Pendulum
I chose to do my project on the Foucault Pendulum because it seemed interesting and I had seen a model at the Griffith Observatory when I visited there. I am also taking physics this year as well as chemistry and have learned a little bit about the Foucault Pendulum but I wanted to do more research beyond that. What I found was very interesting. Leon Foucault invented the pendulum in 1851 which was first actual proof of the rotation of the earth. In general, the direction of the plane of oscillation of a pendulum rotates with an angular …show more content…

The ratio between the time and where the pendulum is confuses people the most. People found the sine factor to be confusing so Foucault made the gyroscope in 1852 to try and help them understand the concept of time with the pendulum. The gyroscope’s spinning rotor tracks the stars directly. Its axis of rotation turns once per day whatever the latitude, unaffected by the sine factor.
This great invention had to have a lot of thought put into it because precautions must be made to assure that the pendulum is not acted upon by any outside forces besides gravity. Constructing a mini pendulum for an experiment is very hard to do because of the precise measurements that must be made to ensure the ratios are correct and that it will swing where it is supposed to swing. For example, to start the pendulum moving, it is usually held at an angle by a string, and then burned to release the pendulum. Letting go from one 's hands, or cutting the string, could give the pendulum momentum that is not right in a particular direction creating a variable and inaccurate results. A heavy pendulum on a long, rigid wire will continue going for long periods of time, but air resistance will eventually cause the motion to lessen and stop. Museums usually use an electromagnetic drive to keep the pendulum moving. This provides additional energy to the pendulum but doesn’t affect its direction of motion.
All pendulums consist of a cable and a symmetrical weight at

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