What is a Foucault Pendulum?
What is a Pendulum?
We have a pendulum whenever we hang an object in a fixed point by means of a rope. Whilst stationary, the object that hangs remains exactly under the vertical axis of the attachment point. If the object is displaced from this position of equilibrium and left free, it begins to oscillate in regular fashion.
Movement is produced because the sum of all forces acting on the object (gravity, the tension of the cable and friction) is not null. Thus, the hanging object accelerates, producing the characteristic oscillation.
After a while, friction with the air makes the pendulum come to a standstill. For the pendulum to continue moving, a mechanism is required to restore the energy lost by friction in the system. In the case of the pendulum located in the Science Coastal Road in Valdivia, the mechanism to restore energy is electromagnetic and is located in the upper part of the structure. |
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