Facts for Prelims (FFP)
Source: TH
Context: A Foucault pendulum has been installed inside the new Parliament which is designed by the National Council of Science Museums, Kolkata.
- Invented by French physicist Léon Foucault in the mid-19th Century, the pendulum provided the first laboratory demonstration in history to show that the Earth spins on its axis. The pendulum in the new Parliament is meant to symbolise the ‘integration of the idea of India with that of the universe’.
About Foucault Pendulum:
- The pendulum consists of a heavy bob suspended at the end of a long, strong wire from a fixed point in the ceiling. As the pendulum swings, the imaginary surface across which the wire and the bob swipe is called the plane of the swing.
Why is it important:
- It helped us understand that the Earth is rotating or spinning. As it swings back and forth, it seems to change its direction over time.
- This happens because while the pendulum swings, the Earth is spinning beneath making it look like the pendulum is changing its direction. This effect is called the Coriolis effect. Depending on where you are on Earth, the pendulum will appear to rotate in different ways.
- For example, if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere (like in Europe or North America), the pendulum will rotate clockwise. But if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere (like in Australia or South America), it will rotate counterclockwise.
- By observing this rotation, scientists like Foucault were able to prove that the Earth is spinning on its axis.
