Foucault pendulum
- noun
- /fuˈkoʊ pɛn.də.ləm/
- Specialized
:
pendulo de Foucault
- You can see a Foucault pendulum in many science centers, illustrating the concept of Earth's rotation in an engaging way.
Examples
-
For reassurance that Earth is indeed rotating, you can watch the precession of the Foucault pendulum installed in the physics department at Colorado State University.
Academic text (2004) -
They approach a circular brass railing surrounding a circular mosaic below; at its center is a Foucault pendulum; a basketball-sized
Fiction book (1997) -
The museum's Foucault pendulum demonstrates the Earth's rotation by changing the direction of its swing throughout the day.
-
At noon, students gather around the Foucault pendulum to observe how its movement reveals the rotation of the Earth.
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
Foucault + pendulum
“Foucault” is a proper name/eponym that does not provide compositional information about function, and knowing “pendulum” only yields the general idea of a swinging weight. The specific meaning—that this type of pendulum demonstrates the Earth’s rotation—requires encyclopedic/scientific knowledge of Léon Foucault and is not derivable by a B1 learner from the constituents alone.
Etymology
The Foucault pendulum was first shown by a scientist named Léon Foucault. He hung a heavy pendulum so it could swing freely, and as it swung the direction slowly seemed to turn because the Earth moved under it. That's why a Foucault pendulum is used to 'show' the Earth's rotation.