what kind of instrument, developed by leon foucault, provides physical evidence that earth is rotating on its axis?
The Correct Answer and Explanation is :
The instrument developed by Léon Foucault that provides physical evidence of Earth’s rotation on its axis is the Foucault pendulum. This simple yet ingenious device demonstrates the Earth’s rotation in a direct, observable way.
Explanation:
In 1851, Léon Foucault, a French physicist, introduced the pendulum as a means to demonstrate Earth’s rotation. The Foucault pendulum consists of a heavy bob (a metal ball or other weight) suspended from a long, rigid wire. When set in motion, the pendulum swings in a consistent plane. Over time, the plane of oscillation of the pendulum appears to rotate, or “precess,” which is the key observation.
The reason for this apparent rotation lies in the rotation of the Earth itself. While the pendulum swings in the same plane of motion, the Earth beneath it rotates. The direction of the swing’s oscillation seems to change due to the Earth’s rotation, and this effect is most prominent at the poles. At the North or South Pole, the plane of the pendulum’s swing would complete a full rotation every 24 hours, which directly correlates with the Earth’s rotation.
At other latitudes, the rate of rotation of the pendulum’s swing depends on the latitude. The closer the pendulum is to the equator, the less pronounced the effect, with no apparent rotation at the equator itself. This phenomenon occurs because the Earth is rotating beneath the pendulum’s fixed swinging plane, and the rate of rotation is proportional to the sine of the latitude.
Foucault’s experiment was a groundbreaking demonstration of Earth’s rotation, providing tangible, physical evidence that the Earth is indeed rotating on its axis. The pendulum’s motion gave clear, observable proof of this fundamental aspect of Earth’s behavior, something that was difficult to conceptualize or prove at the time.