---
title: "Foucault's Pendulum Experiment"
year: 1851
country: "France"
canonical: "https://recap.at/1851/foucault-pendulum-experiment"
slug: "foucault-pendulum-experiment"
recapType: "global_event"
startDate: "1851-01-01"
---

# Foucault's Pendulum Experiment

> Léon Foucault's pendulum demonstration at the Panthéon provided the first direct physical proof of Earth's rotation and became a cornerstone of physics education.

## Summary

The Foucault pendulum or Foucault's pendulum is a simple device named after French physicist Léon Foucault, conceived as an experiment to demonstrate the Earth's rotation. If a long and heavy pendulum suspended from the high roof above a circular area is monitored over an extended period of time, its plane of oscillation appears to change spontaneously as the Earth makes its 24-hourly rotation. This effect is greatest at the poles and diminishes with lower latitude until it no longer exists at Earth's equator.

## Sources

- [Foucault pendulum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foucault_pendulum) - Wikipedia

---
Canonical: https://recap.at/1851/foucault-pendulum-experiment