Large Foucault's Pendulum

Details

Create interest and harmony in any room with this spectacular Foucault's pendulum. It's huge! The metal base plate holding the fine-white-sand measures just over 40cm in diameter, and it hangs via metal cables over 134cm high! The stylish metal pendulum hangs in perfect balance in the centre, gently writing and rewriting complicated geometric patterns in the sand for over 5 minutes. Feel the stress drain from your body, and your mind clear as the swinging Zen-like pendulum quietly creates hundreds of stunning pictures. Foucault's pendulum has a long history and demonstrates important science concepts like the earth's rotation and harmonic movement.

Age: 12+ this is not a toy, and should be used under adult supervision because of it's large size and height

What You Get

Large Foucault's Pendulum measuring approx 40cm in diameter. Instructions.

How does it work

This all metal pendulum converts kinetic energy into potential energy. The extremely fine sand (included) provides minimal friction, thus allowing the pendulum to swing for periods of time. As the pendulum swings, it gently 'writes' ever changing geometric patterns in the sand. The patterns get bigger then smaller then bigger again as the arc of the pendulum also changes. The resulting Lissajous patterns created make the most stunning mandala style works of art.

History of Foucault's Pendulum

Back in 1602, Galileo Galilei discovered that the period of a pendulum does not depend on the arc of its swing. Then in 1851, Jean Bernard Leon Foucault showed that the plane of oscillation of a pendulum, like a gyroscope, tends to stay constant regardless of the motion of the pivot, and that this could be used to demonstrate the rotation of the Earth. He suspended a pendulum on a 67 metre cord from the dome of the Pantheon in Paris that was free to swing in two dimensions. Once the pendulum was set in motion, the plane of swing was observed to rotate 360 degrees clockwise in 32 hours. A 'pendulum mania' broke out, as Foucault pendula were displayed in many cities and attracted large crowds.