Dartmouth professor discusses Foucault's pendulum

[BobUTube12]

This guy is TOO smart to be a physicist or astronomer I bet he is a Space Scientist! Great job Jim, I'll be showing it to my atmosphere's class.

[algol291]

This isn't about the philosopher Michel Foucault is it? If it is, can someone explain what significance it has on philosophy?

[20BCeltics]

@algol291 No, it has nothing to do with her. It has a significance on philosophy because philosophers say that this pendulum can discover the genesis of the universe, but of course, as Jim LaBelle said, it has to be "suitably oriented". Philosophy asks questions of the universe, physics answers them.

[freemanx2x]

Just fukin say it 2:30 ......! AETHER !!!!

[freemanx2x]

linear gyroscope... :)

[2028kenny]

@bleedingcry. These pendulums usually have a device (ex. Electromagnet) to perpetuate the motion.

[bleedingcry]

This looks like Infinite Energy if there is no motor and second Does this spin differently like toilets do in other parts of the world? Shouldn't toilet water spin in the same direction all over the world if were all spinning the same direction regardless if above or below Equator?

[spotofgolf]

What was the name of the 20th century physicist that speculated rotation relative to the universe?

[tiredfingers99]

What would happen if the pivot point of the pendulum were attached to an overhead track that was parallel to the equator, and the pendulum were swung perpendicular to the equator? It should move along the track and stay parallel to it initial angle, unless the earth gives it a nudge. In the beginning the pendulum mass is moving with the earth, but the the two masses try to move independant of each other. A point/force in space is determined by its mass and velocity. That mass will try tomaintain

[gkrishnu]

Dear Dr.LaBelle,  I would like to discuss with you my work using earth's spin in extracting energy from its spin and applying a correction factor based on pendulum's height.

ggnadkarni@yahoo.com

ggn

[0450marlin]

The man is overacting, his body language betrayes the fact that he himself is not fully convinced of what he's talking about.

[Juxtaroberto]

@0450marlin LOL what? The math demonstrates it sufficiently.

[JohnFHendry]

I always get dizzy thinking about that. When I was a kid and my parents took me to see the big one in SF it made my head spin. Unless of course I have that backwards. But what possible relationship could exist between spinning and what I see that is obviously real and has weight. That's just silly, spinning has nothing to do with anything at all because if it did the spin of something would make a difference and change what it is when it was what it was and still is but not what it is as it was.

[tninbredretard]

SO IN OTHER WORDS IT'S MAGNETIC AND GRAVITY PULL AND PUSH

[bears7777777]

@tninbredretard NO

[Juxtaroberto]

@tninbredretard No.

[tninbredretard]

@Juxtaroberto SUCK ME

[Juxtaroberto]

@tninbredretard Sure, whip it out. You're still wrong though.

[tninbredretard]

@Juxtaroberto GO SUCK YOUR MOM'S DICK

[Juxtaroberto]

@tninbredretard Actually, women don't have dicks. Now, if you've been having sex with women with dicks, I have news for you: You've been fucking trannies. That makes you gay.

[sfdgsdhg]

hm



[HerrBismarck]

@spankapixie If it is like the one in my school, there is a motor on the top that keeps it moving. If the pendulum is touched, the motor stops (in order to protect itself. It is a very sensitive motor).

There is no "right" position to start it, (unless you decided to put some sort of drawing on the bottom or something) but it would be hard'-ish to start it because you have to be sure not to put any force outside the plane (or it will recess without the Earth's motion).

[rg0057]

@SgorfEhtEvas , it would be interesting to know what method is used for this particular pendulum. You can hear some creaking or clicking, which might indicate something imperfect is happening, adding and removing energy, to keep it in balance.

[claudelebel55]

goes to show that there is no separation, no isolated part anywhere in the universe. To assume that there is, which we all do, and which science does, always leads to an impass, a dilemma, à paradox such as the one presented here.

[MrSoarbear]

how long is that string? Try a piano sting and a Plumb Bob...Try that 5 miles deep. There's old inert Colarado mine shafts near the Royal Gorge who may accomodate

[TheGreatDissolve]

really bad teacher, if this is your first introduction, like it is for me

[n310ea]

Do you have to cock the pendulum to initiate the swing, or does is start swinging on its own from stationary?

[recoveringcultmember]

Has this experiment ever been carried out in an electromagnetic shield? Dowsers use pendulums to find buried coins, pipe, water and landmines. I have found buried pipe with a piece of wire. So a pendulum is influenced by more than just the weight of the bob.

[stonetop]

@recoveringcultmember the pendulum is far to massive to be influenced by the electromagnetic fields that we experience in every day life (it is so massive that its swing is not heavily influenced by the relative motion of the earth under it.

[recoveringcultmember]

Does it return back to the same point after 24 hours?

[wiseyeffect]

So could it be said it's a universal clock?

[ksengsy]

i have no idea about the foucalt pendulum but now i have an idea and undersyanding about ot..............

tnx........

[capndrake]

@ksengsy lol, you sure you have an "undersyanding about ot"?

[theatregeek69321]

that actually exlains it very well...however, how does it continue to swing back and forth at a fixed diameter, if you don't have to repeatedly push the pendulum to keep it going? also, how long does it stay in motion for without any human interaction with the pendulum?

[PernaMan]

@theatregeek69321 the heavy bob and the exaggerated length (and weight) of the wire that the bob hangs from are the trademarks of a faucoult pendulum...both prevent air currents from knocking the pendulum out of line and are helpful in slowing the effects that friction has on the pendulum so that it may stay in motion for longer periods of time...i'm not sure how long it would stay in motion w/o humans intervening, though..

[Samuelwhatshisface]

@theatregeek69321 There's one in the science museum in london; it's got a electric motor at the top to keep it reaching the diameter. I don't know how it doesn't effect the spin, but I know that's how they keep it swinging.

[davasque]

@theatregeek69321 Depends on the friction in the pivot point. If there is no friction, it can go on as long as there's no other force applied to it.

[mikebanwell]

@theatregeek69321 Some pendulums are really big and do swing on their own for quite some time but some others have an electromagnet under the floor that turns on and off at a set frequency to pull on the bob of the pendulum

[HerrBismarck]

@theatregeek69321 We had one of these in my school (in the science building). It has a motor on the top that keeps it moving without affecting the plane's motion.

The motor is so sensitive that if you touch the pendulum, it can break it, hence why they had a built-in system that stopped the motor if it felt a force.

[kinstar]

@theatregeek69321 its stays in motion forever well something like that, it uses the earths motion to keep it moving, i was at a museum before and they had numbers which read the excact time of the day quite kl

[Almno10]

@theatregeek69321 the pendulum bob is sufficiently heavy and the length of the cord long enough so that the damping (what physicists call the forces that kill oscillations) is small. So the pendulum motion dies off, but slowly. You could in principle construct a pendulum long enough to swing for any time you desire. In the case of the pendulum that measures the effect of the sun, you dont need it to swing for a year. You can let it swing for a week or so and youll have enough of the circle.

[HumanActivitySystem]

@theatregeek69321 The answer is so simple to these questions. It's the most hilarious thing.

[mairead027]

I presume you push the pendulum to start it swinging, but how does it keep the momentum going?

[sinitassu]

A really interesting video. I've studied my share of physics, but I don't think I've ever heard of a pendulum quite like this.

[TheSkepticalAtheist]

Really cool. The idea that this pendulum could "know" something about the entire Universe. I never really gave any thought to that...

[DanaGarrett]

Good explanation. Thanks.

[Professoranton]

Thank you.