Saint Isaac's Cathedral. How was Fouco's pendulum in the cathedral became a symbol of the struggle between science and religion? What is Fouco Pendulum and What is the principle of his work

27.09.2019

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Let's first figure out how Foucault pendulum works.Having suspended to high (EDAK meters 67) The ceiling ball on the cable. On the underside of the ball - a thin rod. Note the point right under load: this is the center.

Now we will take away from the pendulum of the meter by 3 and wage it in a circle, leaving the path from the sand. Voila: We got a circle with a pendulum in the center.

Let's start experience! We take the pendulum aside and gently let go: he starts to hesitate, leaving the rod strips on the sand.

But a strange thing: the pendulum seems to be moving strictly back-forward, but with each maha, the metal tip sweeps the sand about 3 mm from the previous mark. The rolling plane turns clockwise relative to the floor - and for 32 hours it makes full turn!

Why? On a circle from the sand there is a point as close as possible to the North Pole - and therefore, it is closer to the earth's axis than the center. This means that when the Earth turns at 360 °, the northern edge of the ring will move in a circle of a smaller radius than the center, and the day will pass less. These differences and reflects the pendulum, which invented Jean Foucault.

Pantheon, Paris

Jean Fouco first demonstrated his experiment on January 8, 1851. In the cellar of her house in Paris, the physicist performed experience with a pendulum of 2 meters long. The experiment aroused increased interest and already in March of the same year he was implemented publicly. Under the dome of the pantheon on the steel wire, the length of which reached 67 meters, 28-kilogram cargo with the edge was suspended.

A circle fenced under the pendulum, on the perimeter of which sand was poured. Approximately 32 hours the pendulum made a full turn and outlined the trajectory of his rotation on the sand. With this experiment, the daily rotation of the Earth was clearly demonstrated.

Isaac's Cathedral, St. Petersburg

For the Easter night from 11 to 12 April 1931 in St. Isaac Cathedral for the first time the pendulum of Foucault was installed. About 7 thousand spectators witnessed scientific triumphs. The bronze ball suspended to the dome was powered for a visual demonstration of earth rotation. The pendulum was removed in 1986, and in the center of the dome, where the cable had previously attached, dove returned - the symbol of the Holy Spirit. In turn, the foco pendulum was placed in the repository of St. Isaac Cathedral.

Fukusaiji, Nagasaki

In the port of Japanese city of Nagasaki on the island of Kyushu, there is an unusual temple complex, which has the shape of a turtle. Fukusaiji was founded by Chinese monks in the 17th century, but during the atomic explosion of 1945 was destroyed. In memory of the dead, the temple was restored in 1979. Daily exactly at 11:02 row the bell is the time of the atomic bomb explosion. In the temple over the remains of 16,500 killed during World War II, a 25-meter Foucault pendulum was suspended.

Basilica San Petronio, Bologna

Perhaps the most suitable place to demonstrate Fouco Pendulum was the Italian "City of Science", where the oldest university of Europe was founded (1088). The Cathedral of Bologna, who dedicated to the bishop and the patron of the city of Saint Petronia, was built several centuries, starting from 1390 years. It was assumed that in size he had to surpass the Cathedral of St. Peter in Rome, but Pope intervened in the ambitious plan in time.

However, Basilica is striking with its size. The building length is 132 meters, the width is 66 meters, the height of the arches is 45 meters.

Church of Saints John, Vilnius

Named in honor of St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist, the church was built in the XVIII century on the project of Johann Christopher Glaubitz (the first wooden building laid in 1387 burned). In the 1960s, he was transferred to the Vilnius State University, which is the architectural ensemble. In the church is the only pendulum in Lithuania.

You can see it, rising to the second floor of a 68-meter bell tower, which was opened for visiting in 2011 after its capital restoration. There, in the museum of science, pendulum rotates over the marble dial.

Fouco pendulum,the device visually demonstrating the rotation of the Earth. Its invention is attributed to J. Fux (1819-1868). Initially, the experience was performed in a narrow circle, but it was so interested in L. Burnie (later who became Napoleon III, the French emperor) that he suggested that Foucault repeat him publicly in a grand scale under the dome of the Pantheon in Paris. This public demonstration arranged in 1851, and it is customary to call the experience of Fouco.

Under the dome of the Fouco building hung a metal ball with a mass of 28 kg on steel wire 67 m long. Unlike a watch pendulum, which can swing only in the same plane, the foco pendulum the top end of the wire was fixed in such a way that he could swing equally freely in all directions. Under the pendulum, a circular fence was made by a radius of 6 m with a center right under the point of the suspension. The fencing was embarrassed sand, so that with each swing attached under the pendulum ball, the metal edge could fit it in its path. To ensure the launch of the pendulum without a lateral push, he was taken aside and tied with a rope. After the pendulum after tieting came to the state of complete rest, the rope was checked and the pendulum came into motion.

The pendulum of such a length makes one complete oscillation for 16.4 s, and soon it became clear that the swing plane of the pendulum turns clockwise relative to the floor. Each time the next swing, the metal edge swept the sand about 3 mm from the previous place. In an hour, the swing plane turned more than 11 °, and about 32 hours did the full turn and returned to the previous position. This impressive demonstration led the audience to the tantrum; It seemed to them that they feel the rotation of the earth under their feet.

To find out why the pendulum behaves in this way, consider the shortborn ring. The northern point of the rings is 3 meters from the center, and, given that Pantheon is located at 48 ° 51 ° C of northern latitude, this part of the ring is 2.3 m closer to the earth's axis than the center. Therefore, when the Earth turns 360 ° for 24 hours, the north edge of the ring will move in a circle of a smaller radius than the center, and per day will be 14.42 m less. Consequently, the difference in the speeds of these points is 1 cm / min. Similarly, the southern edge of the rings moves 14.42 m per day, or 1 cm / min, faster than the center of the ring. Thanks to this difference in speed, the line connecting the northern and southern points of the ring always remains directed from the north to south.

On the earthly equator, the northern and southern ends of such a small space would be in one distance from the earth's axis and, therefore, moved at the same speed. Therefore, the surface of the Earth would not rotate around the vertical pillar standing at the equator, and the peculiar focus would have shook at the same line. The rotation speed of the swing plane would be zero, and the total turnover time would be infinitely large. If the pendulum was installed exactly on one of the geographic poles, it would have been that the swing plane turns exactly by 15 ° every hour and performs a full turn of 360 ° 24 hours (the surface of the Earth turns 360 ° per day around the earth's axis. )

Jean Bernard Leon Foucault - French physicist, a member of the Paris Academy of Sciences, was born in Paris on September 18, 1819. In addition to Fouco Pendulum, the scientist designed a gyroscope, developed a method for measuring light speed in air and water, and also created one methods of silver mirrors.

Jean Bernard Leon Foucault. Not later than 1868. Photo: Commons.Wikimedia.org / Léon Foucault

What is Foucault pendulum?

In the middle of the XIX century, Jean Fouco invented a device that clearly demonstrates the rotation of the Earth. Initially, the scientist conducted an experiment in a narrow circle. Later, Louis Bonaparte learned about this experience. In 1851, the future French emperor Napoleon III proposed Foucault to repeat the experiment publicly under the dome of Pantheon in Paris.

During the experiment, Fouco took the cargo weighing 28 kg and suspected it to the top of the dome on the wire 67 m long.At the end of the cargo, the scientist secured the metal edge. The pendulum performed fluctuations on the round fence, on the edge of which was a padded sand. With each swing of the pendulum, the sharp rod, fixed from the bottom of the cargo, dropped the sand in approximately three milieters from the previous place. After about two and a half hours it became clear that the swing plane of the pendulum turns clockwise relative to the floor. For an hour, the oscillation plane turned more than 11 °, and about 32 hours made a full turn and returned to the previous position. Foucault thus proved that if the surface of the Earth did not rotate, Foucault's pendulum would not show changes to the fluctuation plane.

For carrying out this experience, Foucault was awarded the Order of the Honorary Legion - the highest award of France. Fooho's pendulum was subsequently received distribution in many countries. Existing devices are mainly designed by the same principle and differ in each other by technical parameters and the design of the players on which they are installed.

How can the plane of rotation of the pendulum can change?

The plane of rotation of the pendulum affects both the geographical latitude of the place where it is installed and the length of the suspension (long pendulum rotate faster).

The pendulum installed on the North or South Pole will make a turn in 24 hours. The pendulum established at the equator will not rotate at all, the plane will remain stationary.

Fouco pendulum in Paris Pantheon. Photo: Commons.Wikimedia.org / Arnaud 25

Where can I see Foucault's pendulum?

In Russia, the operating pendulum of Foucault can be viewed in the Moscow Planetarium, Siberian Federal University, in the Atrium of the 7th floor of the Fundamental Library of Moscow State University, St. Petersburg and Volgograd Planetaria, in the Volga Federal University in Kazan.

Fouco Pendulum in the Interactive Museum "Lunarium" of the Moscow Planetarium

Until 1986, the foco pendulum of 98 meters could be seen in St. Petersburg St. Petersburg. During the excursion, visitors of the cathedral could observe the experiment - the plane of rotation of the pendulum turned, and the rod knocked down the matchbox on the floor, heded from the plane of rotation of the pendulum.

The largest in the CIS and one of the largest peters of Fouco in Europe is installed in the Kiev Polytechnic Institute. Bronze ball weighs 43 kilograms, and the length of the thread is 22 meters.

Foco pendulum
The device visually demonstrating the rotation of the Earth. His invention is attributed to J. Fouco (1819-1868). Initially, the experience was made in a narrow circle, but I was interested in L. Bonaparta (later III, the French emperor, who was Napoleon, which he proposed to repeat it publicly in a grand scale under the dome of the Pantheon in Paris. This public demonstration arranged in 1851, and it is customary to call the experience of Fouco.

Under the dome of the Fouco building hung a metal ball with a mass of 28 kg on steel wire 67 m long. Unlike a watch pendulum, which can swing only in the same plane, the foco pendulum the top end of the wire was fixed in such a way that he could swing equally freely in all directions. Under the pendulum, a circular fence was made by a radius of 6 m with a center right under the point of the suspension. The fencing was embarrassed sand, so that with each swing attached under the pendulum ball, the metal edge could fit it in its path. To ensure the launch of the pendulum without a lateral push, he was taken aside and tied with a rope. After the pendulum after tieting came to the state of complete rest, the rope was checked and the pendulum came into motion. The pendulum of such a length makes one complete oscillation for 16.4 s, and soon it became clear that the swing plane of the pendulum turns clockwise relative to the floor. Each time the next swing, the metal edge swept the sand about 3 mm from the previous place. In an hour, the swing plane turned more than 11 °, and about 32 hours did the full turn and returned to the previous position. This impressive demonstration led the audience to the tantrum; It seemed to them that they feel the rotation of the earth under their feet. To find out why the pendulum behaves in this way, consider the shortborn ring. The northern point of the rings is 3 meters from the center, and, given that Pantheon is located at 48 ° 51 "northern latitude, this part of the ring is 2.3 m closer to the earth's axis than the center. Therefore, when the Earth is turned 360 °. 24 h The north edge of the ring will move in a circle of a smaller radius than the center, and per day will be 14.42 m less. Therefore, the difference in these points is 1 cm / min. Similarly, the southern edge of the rings moves by 14.42 m. per day, or 1 cm / min, faster than the center of the ring. Thanks to this speed difference, the line connecting the northern and southern point of the ring is always directed from the north to south.

The encyclopedia of the colley. - Open Society. 2000 .

Watch what is "Foucault's pendulum" in other dictionaries:

Fouco pendulum, heavy metal ball-shaped (or disc-shaped) object hanging on a long thin wire, was first used by Jean Foucault to demonstrate the rotation of the Earth. Since the Earth rotates around its axis, the plane ... ...

About the novel Umberto Eco, see the pendulum Fouco (Roman). Foucault Pendulum Model, located in the Southern Hemisphere of the Earth. The trajectory of motion depicted on the animation corresponds to the case when the pendulum is driven by a short impetus from ... ... Wikipedia

The foco pendulum model located in the Southern Hemisphere of the Earth Pendulum Fouco Pendulum used for experimental demonstration of the daily rotation of the Earth. Contents 1 Fouco Experiment ... Wikipedia

foco pendulum - FUKO Švytuoklė Statusas T Sritis Fizika Atitikmenys: Angl. Foucault Pendulum Vok. Foucaultsches Pendel, N Rus. Fouco pendulum, M pranc. Pendule De Foucault, M ... Fizikos Terminų žodynas

Fouco Pendulum: Fouco Pendulum Pendulum used for the experimental demonstration of the daily rotation of the Earth. Foco's pendulum Second Roman Umberto Eco (1988) ... Wikipedia

For a mathematical pendulum, see Fouco Pendulum. Fouco Pendulum Il Pendolo Di Foucault ... Wikipedia

Pendulum, any body suspended in any point so that it fluctuates, describing the arc of the circumference. Simple, or mathematical, the pendulum consists of a heavy load of a small size suspended on the thread or on a slightly short-lived rod. ... ... Scientific and Technical Encyclopedic Dictionary

Pendulum, pendulum, husband. 1. Swing a heavy body on the rod attached to the upper end to the fixed point. Clock with a pendulum. Fouco pendulum. Physical pendulum (material, real, in contrast to mathematical; see below; Piz.). || ... ... Explanatory Dictionary Ushakov

- (Foucault) Jean Bernard Leon (1819 68), French doctor and physicist, Gyroscope inventor. With the help of a pendulum (Foucault's pendulum) proved that the Earth rotates around his axis. Developed a method for measuring the absolute speed of light and in 1850, measuring it ... Scientific and Technical Encyclopedic Dictionary

More than 500 years ago, Polish astronomer Nikolai Copernicus first showed that the Earth rotates. However, it is difficult to prove it difficult. Although the circumferential speed of the earth's surface and reaches a huge number on the equator - 465 meters per second, but we do not notice it, as they ourselves are rotating together with the Earth.
The most important manifestation of the rotation of the Earth is the change of day and night was not direct confirmation of this phenomenon. Before Copernicus, it was assumed that the earth was stationary, and the worlds surrounding it rotate. Other manifestations of the rotation of the Earth, as, for example, the deviation of the flow of rivers and the curvature of the direction of permanent winds, which in the tropical belt becomes noticeable only with long observations and, obviously, cannot clearly confirm the rotation of the Earth. The proof of this fact was given after three centuries after the opening of Copernicus, when Fouco in 1851 hesitated his pendulum under the dome of the Paris Pantheon.
In 1931 in Leningrad, in the building of the former St. Isaac's Cathedral, Foucault's pendulum was also installed. This pendulum is a heavy (54 kg) a bowl with a long edge. It is suspended on a thin wire, which is strengthened under the dome of the cathedral at an altitude of 98 meters in a glass with a ball bearing, which does not allow the wire to spin. On the floor, under the pendulum, there are sectors marked for degrees.
Foco's experience is based on the pendulist property to maintain all the time the same swing plane, no matter how the support of its suspension is turned. Before the start of the experience, the point of the ball is set above the feature of the sector designated as degrees, and, rejecting the ball to the side, ties with a thin thread, which is then overtaken. After that, the pendulum begins to swing in a constant plane with a period of oscillations in 20 seconds. After about 5 minutes, the sector under the pendulum turns to 1 degree counterclockwise, which. and determines the direction and angular speed of rotation of the Earth.
From the above description it is easy to establish the main disadvantage of Foucault's experience: it is possible to demonstrate it only in very high rooms, since with a decrease in the dimensions of the pendulum, the deviation of the swing plane from the initial position over a limited period of time becomes less and less noticeable.
From the day of the first experience, Fouco scientists failed to offer new visual benefits and methods of evidence of the Earth's rotation, although numerous attempts were made to create special devices for this. We mention at least about repeatedly repeatedly repeatedly in the fall of the bodies from a height, in which the body deviates to the east, that is, in the direction of the direction of the Earth. However, the magnitude of this deflection is small. For example, with an altitude of 85 meters in medium latitudes, it is only about 10 millimeters. Thus, this experience is unsuitable for a visual demonstration.
The study of the Earth's rotation continues to be relevant for our days. This is necessary for atheistic propaganda, for astronomical sciences, and in schools and institutes - for physical experiences. For a number of years we have worked on creating visual devices that could show the daily rotation of the Earth. The devices designed by us differ from Foucault's pendulum mainly by the fact that they are not lagging behind the rotating land, but overtake it. We describe the device some of them. The main such device is the rotating pendulum. Its main part is a rectangular frame that rests on two tips. Inside the frame on the horizontal axis, a rod with two equal loads can rotate. In motion it is driven by two springs. An arrow is attached to the edge of the instrument turning to the frame. To bring the device into action, the rod is rotated by hand until the springs are completely stretching. Then it is installed horizontally and tied to a fine thread frame. After a few seconds, the arrow stops trembling, consequently, the device relative to the rotating land is not moved. His start is carried out by simply adjusting the thread.
Under the action of the springs, the rod begins to rotate, and after 15-20 seconds, as soon as it develops, the number of revolutions is sufficient to overcome friction in the frame centers, the device overtakes the rotating land. Observers register this movement to deviate the arrow from the initial position. Thus, the direction of the Earth is detected and the direction of this movement counterclockwise. The whole process, including the pendulum plant, takes no more than 4-5 minutes.
The effect of the device is based on the law known in physics, the law of maintaining the moment of movement in the event of rotation of the tel. According to this law, the product of the weight of each particle of the body at the distance from the rotation axis and the speed should remain constant. In our device, the distance of goods on the rod from the vertical axis is of the greatest value at the horizontal position of the rod, that is, at the time of igniting the thread, and the smallest value at the time when it passes through the vertical. Before fluorizing the thread, rod, participating in the rotation of the Earth, has an angular velocity relative to the vertical axis equal to the speed of rotation of the Earth. After the thread is overtook, the distance of goods from the vertical axis changes, but it remains always less than when the device starts. Therefore, such a decrease in distance is accompanied by an increase in the angular velocity of goods and the entire device relative to the Earth. As a result, the device overtakes the Earth and turns around the vertical axis to some angle, indicated by the arrow.
With a height of 2400 millimeters and weight of 9 kilograms (including cargo weight 3 kilograms), the speed of rotation of the device frame exceeds the speed of the Earth's rotation of about 15 times. This means that with a continuous rotation of the rod with cargo, for example, from the electric motor, the frame of the device on the latitude of Leningrad will make a total of 13 revolutions per day. With an increase in the height of up to 3000 millimeters with a corresponding increase in the weight of the goods, the speed of rotation of the device will exceed the speed of the Earth's rotation of about 25 times, which will further increase the visuality of experience.
The rotating pendulum is relatively different from Fouco's pendulum with its insignificant dimensions, allowing it to install it in a small room, the shortest possible time, during which the effect of daily rotation of the Earth on the device becomes notable observers, and, finally, its low cost. However, the rotating pendulum is inconvenient because it must be started before launching. This can be eliminated by replacing the spring drive by the electric motor.
The other device developed by us is the swinging pendulum - based on the principle of the rotating pendulum, but differs from it the absence of springs. In addition, the same loads in it are replaced by cargo of different weights. Before the demonstration, the rod with loads also tie the thread to the frame, then the thread is overtaken, and the device acts in analogous to the rotating pendulum. His difference from Foucault's pendulum lies in the fact that it has an inflexible rod, which can swing only in the frame plane, so the rotation of the Earth causes the rotation of the entire frame in the centers around the vertical axis.
Rotating and swinging pendulums of our design are installed and demonstrated in the Moscow Planetarium.
It should be noted that these devices allow you to directly measure the forces arising from all bodies on the rotating land. In order to perform such a measurement, the thread is wound on the vertical axis of the frame of the device in the direction counterclockwise, which then eats through the block. By the end of the thread, a weight gain of 5-10 grams is tied. Thus, an additional moment of forces is created on the axis of the pendulum, which increases the effect of the rotation of the Earth to the device. The arrow during the operation of the device is deflected by an angle, much greater than when starting without Giri.
Then the same thread is wound on the axis in the direction clockwise, and the moment of forces is created, which reduces the effect of earth rotation on the device. The arrow is deflected by an angle, much smaller than when starting with the Gary in the first experiment. By the difference in the angles of the deflection of the arrows and weight, weights can be easily determined by the amount of forces arising from the rotation of the Earth.