# Canonical recap data for Foucault's Pendulum Experiment (1851)
# Source: https://recap.at/1851/foucault-pendulum-experiment
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: foucault-pendulum-experiment
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1851/foucault-pendulum-experiment"
title: Foucault's Pendulum Experiment
subtitle: 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.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1851-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1851
decade: 1850
country:
name: France
slug: france
summaryShort: 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 oscillati
summaryLong: 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.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9c/Panth%C3%A9on_Pendule_de_Foucault2.JPG/1280px-Panth%C3%A9on_Pendule_de_Foucault2.JPG"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Foucault pendulum"
importance: 78
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts: []
timeline: []
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foucault_pendulum"
  title: Foucault pendulum
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
categories:
- tech-launch
metaDescription: 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'
wikidataQid: Q178841
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260622052536/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foucault_pendulum"
  capturedAt: 2026-06-22
  label: Foucault pendulum
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foucault_pendulum"
