Introduction

Pendulum motion has fascinated people for hundreds of years. Galileo studied pendulum motion by watching a swinging chandelier and timing it with his pulse. Jean Foucault proved that the earth rotates by using a long pendulum that swung in the same plane and showed that the earth rotated underneath it. The Foucault Pendulum is now an attraction in many science museums around the country. 

Galileo used pendulums extensively in his experiments. You will learn how he experimented with them and what he learned of their characteristics. You will read about Christian Huygens and about his research on clocks. In addition, you will see a demonstration of the Foucault pendulum.