Loading...
Please wait, while we are loading the content...
Foucault Pendulum
| Content Provider | TeachEngineering: STEM curriculum for K-12 |
|---|---|
| Author | Mwaffo, Violet Laut, Jeffrey |
| Copyright Year | 2014 |
| Description | Students learn about the Foucault pendulum—an engineering tool used to demonstrate and measure the Earth's rotation. Student groups create small experimental versions, each comprised of a pendulum and a video camera mounted on a rotating platform actuated by a LEGO® MINDSTORMS® motor. Students learn about the Foucault pendulum—an engineering tool used to demonstrate and measure the Earth's rotation. Student groups create small experimental versions, each comprised of a pendulum and a video camera mounted on a rotating platform actuated by a LEGO® MINDSTORMS® EV3 motor. When the platform is fixed, the pendulum motion forms a line, as observed in the recorded video. When the rotating, the pendulum's motion is observed as a set of spirals with a common center. Observing the patterns that the pendulum bob makes when the platform is rotating provides insight as to how a full-size Foucault pendulum operates. It helps students understand some of the physical phenomena induced by the Earth's rotation, as well as the tricky concept of how the perception of movement varies, depending on one's frame of reference. |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Rights Holder | Regents of The University of Colorado Polytechnic Institute of New York University |
| Subject Keyword | Measurement Physical Science Science and Technology Rotation Coriolis Trajectory Robot Wind Pattern Current Deflection Frame of Reference Earth's Rotation Rotating Frame of Reference Pendulum Projectile Coriolis Effect Foucault |
| Content Type | Text |
| Time Required | PT45M |
| Education Level | Class V Class VI Class VII |
| Pedagogy | Experimental Activity |
| Resource Type | Hands-on |
| Subject | Physics Geometry Technical |
