Details of the Motion of a Foucault Pendulum

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Det l oft M oton ofa Foucaul ai s he i t Pendul um

A PD F versi of t s page i avaiabl here. on hi s l e

Introduction
Thi experi ent t l us t s m els hat t Eart s surf he h' ace i not an i s nert alf i ram e of ref erence, t hat i a s f ram e w hi i ei her at rest or m ovi w i h a constant vel t i a part cul di ch s t ng t oci y n i ar rect on, w i h no i t ext ernalf orces appled. In rotat ng f i i ram es of ref erence, such as on t surf he ace of t Earth, t he he vel t of t f oci y he ram e i const l changi di s ant y ng rect on. It i t s t , i t case of t pendul , i s hi hat n he he um causes i t appear as t t o hough angul m om ent ar um i not conserved and N ew t s l s are not s on' aw obeyed. As observed f rom a posi i at rest i space (an i t on n nert alf i ram e) how ever, one w oul see d that angul m om ent ar um i i f s n act conserved and N ew t s l s are obeyed. on' aw O ne m ay expect t hat t best w ay t t he o reat thi probl s em w oul be t anal d o yse t m echani f he cs rom an i nert alf i ram e of ref erence. In act ualf act i i som ew hat l t s ess com plcated t i ead use a non i o nst -i nert alrot i f i at ng ram e fxed t t Eart s surf i o he h' ace. In order t do t s, w e m ust fnd a w ay of o hi i t ransl i f at ng rom t i he nert alt t non-i i o he nert alf i ram es and care m ust be t aken w hen consi deri ng vect ors, i part cul t r t m e deri n i ar hei i vati ves, as w ilbecom e apparent l . W hen consi deri m echani i non-i ng cs n nert alf i ram es, addi i t onalf orces m ust be consi dered w hi ch vani i i sh n nert alf i ram es. For t s reason t hi hese f orces are t erm ed fictitious forces and t hose w hi w e concern oursel ch ves w i h here are t centrifugal and Coriolis f t he orces. The det l of t ais he cent f riugalf orce are not essent ali underst i n andi w hy t pl ng he ane of oscil i rot es, how ever lat on at i s ef ect are i erest ng and t descri i em erges nat t f s nt i he pt on uraly f l rom t m at he hem at cs w hi i ch f l s t s i roduct on. olow hi nt i

Rotating Frames
In a body rot i w i h angul vel t at ng t ar oci y gi ven by , a part cul poi w i h posi on vect i ar nt t ti or has a vel t oci y

(1) In f act f any vect or or (not necessariy a posi i vect l t on or) fxed i a rot i body, i n at ng (2) rected al ong the Thus f uni vect or t ors , and , di fxed on t Eart s surf i he h' ace (see fgure 1), w e have i (east ), (nort and h) (upw ards) axes

(3)

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Details of the Motion of a Foucault Pendulum

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Fi gure 1: The di rect ons of t i he

and

axes f a poi on t Eart s surf or nt he h' ace w i h l i ude t at t

N ow consi der t posi i vect of a part cl i t s coordi e syst , he t on or i e n hi nat em (4) N ot t e hat t ori n of t coordi e syst he gi he nat em here (w here ) i at t cent of t Eart s he re he h. The rat of change of t s vect w ilbe m easured dif e hi or l f erent y by an observer i an i l n nert alf i ram e, as com pared t an observer st o andi on t Eart s surf ng he h' ace. W e shal use l t denot t rat o e he e of change of as m easured by t i he nert alobserver and i and t denot t rat of change of o e he e as m easured by t non-i he nert alobserver on t Eart s surf i he h' ace. The rat of change of scal es ar quant t es, i e. t deri i ii . he vat ves of , and , w ilal ays be m easured t be the sam e by bot l w o h observers. Accordi t t non-i ng o he nert alobserver on t Eart s surf i he h' ace, t di he rect ons of t i he uni vect t ors are const ant i t m e, so n i (5) For the i nert alobserver, how ever, t di i he rect ons of t uni vect i he t ors are varyi i t m e, so w e ng n i have (6) f rom equat ons 3 and 4. Appl ng t sam e f i yi he orm ul t rat of change of a, he e i nert alobserver i i s as m easured by t he

(7) w here i t rat of change of s he e as m easured by t non-i he nert alobserver. From equat on 6, i i

H ence, (8) N ew t s second l f a part cl m ovi under t i l on' aw or i e ng he nfuence of gravi y pl an addi i t us t onalf orce Fi s (9) w here w e m ust consi der t absolute accel he erat on i , si nce equat on 9 hol onl i i ds y n i a s ).

i pl n ace of t hen equat on 9 w oul not be vald). i d i i nert alf i ram es. (If one w ere t use o vect poi i t ards t cent of t Eart w i h a m agni ude equalt or nt ng ow he re he h, t t o ( Subst t i equat on 8 i o 9 and rearrangi i ut ng i nt ng, w e obtai n

(10) Equat on 10 i t equat on of m ot on f a parti e i a non-i i s he i i or cl n nert alrot i f i at ng ram e. The t rd and hi f ourt t h erm s on t ri he ght hand si are t Cori i and cent f de he ols riugalf orces respect vel The ff h i y. it t erm i t Eul f s he er orce, w hi can be negl ed si ch ect nce, f t Eart or he h, .

The Centrifugal Force

Let us del our di ay scussi of t Cori i f on he ols orce and frst f i ocus on t cent f he riugalf orce. Thi i a s s posi i dependent f t on orce, w hereas t C ori i f he ols orce i vel t dependent w hi m eans that s oci y , ch w hen any m easurem ent i t s aken of t accel he erat on due t gravi y, w hat i act l m easured i i o t s ualy s t effective accel he erat on due t gravi y, i o t

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Details of the Motion of a Foucault Pendulum

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(11) As one m ay expect t di , he rect on of i i perpendi ar t t axi of rot i of t s cul o he s at on he Eart and di h rect out ards, t ed w hus i has com ponent i t t s n he and di rect ons. For a poi w i h i nt t l i ude , at t (12) Thus t he and com ponent of s are

(13)

(14) and t ef ect of t cent f he f he riugalf orce i to decrease t m agni ude of t accel s he t he erat on due t i o gravi y and t al er i s di t o t t recti slght y; i t nort on i l n he hern hem i sphere a pl b lne i defect t um i s l ed o the sout and i t sout h n he hern hem i sphere i i defect t t nort t s l ed o he h. At t equat ( he or ), t he com ponent vani shes and t he com ponent has i s m axi um t m val ue, w hereas at t pol ( he es ), bot com ponents vani h sh. Thus t accel he erat on due t i o gravi y w ilbe m easured t be l t l o ess at t equat t he or han at t pol he es. Thi i com pounded by t s s he f act t hat t radi of t Eart i l he us he h s ess at t pol t he es han at t equat he or, w hi i dent l i due ch nci aly s t t cent f o he riugalf orce. The overal ef ect i t l f s hat one w ei ghs l ess at t equat t he or han at the pol es, al hough f t t or hose readers i erest i w ei nt ed n ght l oss, t here are si pl and m ore cost m er ef ect ve m et f i hods.

The Coriolis Force

Bef ore del ng i o t m at vi nt he hem at cs of t C ori i f i he ols orce i i benefci to at em pt t vi t s i al t o sualse i s i t ef ect N egl i f ct on, consi f . ect ng ri i der a di rot i ant cl sk at ng i ockw i w i h a part cl bei fred across se t i e ng i t di et he am er. St andi st i ng at onary (an i nert alf i ram e) and w at ng t di rot e i f chi he sk at n ront of you, i you w ere t rol a bal across t di et of t di f o l l he am er he sk, you w oul see t bal t d he l raveli a n st ght lne t rai i hrough t cent of t di he re he sk. If you w ere rot i w i h the di (a non-i at ng t sk nert al i f ram e) how ever, and roled t bal t ards t cent i t sam e m anner, you w oul see t l he l ow he re n he d he part cl bei defect t your ri i e ng l ed o ght as i subj f ect t a f o orce act ng perpendi ar t t part cl s i cul o he i e' vel t Thi f oci y. s orce i t C ori i f s he ols orce and a good vi sualsuppl ent t t s descri i i em o hi pt on s l ocat here. W e t ed urn our at ent on back t t Eart now and i agi st t i o he h m ne andi st l at t N ort ng il he h Pol N egl i ai resi ance, a bi fyi sout w oul appear t be f l i a slght y curved e. ect ng r st rd l ng h d o olow ng i l t ect raj ory t t w est w hereas an observer w at ng f o he , chi rom at rest i space w oul see t bi n d he rd fyi i a st ght lne w hie t Eart rot es underneat l ng n rai i l he h at h. W i h our pendul , w e assum e t t um hat t di ance t he st hrough w hi t bob m oves i sm al enough ch he s l that the gravi at onaland cent f t i riugalf orces can be t reat as const ed ant and w e com bi t ne hem t oget her i o a const nt ant ef ect ve accel f i erat on due t gravi y, i o t . From equat on 10, t i he equat on of m ot on now becom es i i (15) In our coordi e syst nat em w i h t uni vect t he t ors , and , poi i east nort and upw ards nt ng , h respect vel t angul vel t of a poi on t Eart s surf i y, he ar oci y nt he h' ace w i h l i ude t at t i s (16) H ence w e obt n f t Cori i f ai or he ols orce (17) W e concern oursel ves pri ariy w i h t hori m l t he zont m ot on i t al i n he pl ane. The vert cal i com ponent of t Cori i f he ols orce i neglgi e si s i bl nce i provi t des a sm al correct on t l i o , w ih t t he si al ernat ng on each hal-peri gn t i f od. Assum i t ng hat t l he engt h of t pendul he um i l s arge and

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that the am plt i ude of t oscil i he lat ons i com parat vel sm al, t vel t i t s i y l he oci y n he -di rect on can i be negl ed ( ect ) and w e can ut lse t sm al angl approxi at on ( ii he l e m i )f t or he angl t pendul e he um m akes w i h t vert cal(i s rest posi i t he i t t on). Thus f rom equat ons 15 and 17, i assum i t ng here are no addi i t onalext ernalf orces ( ), w e obt n t equat ons of m ot on f ai he i i or the pendul um i t n he and di rect ons, i

(18)

(19) The frst t i erm s on t ri he ght hand si des are t f ii rest ng f he am lar ori orces f a pendul or um exhi t ng bi i si pl harm oni m ot on, and t second t m e c i he erm s are t cont but ons f he ri i rom t C ori i f he ols orce. In order t obtai an explci sol i t t o n i t ut on o hese equat ons, w e can m ul i y equat on 19 by t i t pl i he i agi m nary uni t , and add i t equat on 18, gi ng t o i vi (20)

and i t natural angul f s he ar requency of t oscil i he lat ons, w here i e. t f . he requency of si pl harm oni oscil i m e c lat ons i t absence of the Cori i f n he ols orce. Equat on i 20 resem bl t equat on of m ot on f a dam ped pendul , except f t i agi es he i i or um or he m nary "dam pi ng" t erm . W e l ook f sol i or ut ons t t s equat on of t f o hi i he orm t s i o equat on 20 gi hi nt i ves and subst t i i ut ng

(21)

w here si nce si nce t f he requency of t rotat on of t Eart i he i he h s m uch l ess t han t f he requency of oscil i of t pendul lat on he um ( ). H ence t sol on i he uti s (22) The t erm s i parent n heses descri si pl harm oni m ot on w i h f be m e c i t requency , and are const s fxed by t i t alcondi i ant i he ni i t ons. W e w oul t d heref ore expect t hat t pref or he act i t t s he erm w hi w ilt lus about t rot i of t pl ch l el he at on he ane of oscil i lat on. D roppi the SH O ng t erm s and t ng t realpart of , w e obt n aki he ai (23) D efni i ng so as t peri of rot i of t pl he od at on he ane of oscil i lat on, cl earl y ,

(24) The val of f t Eart i conveni ue or he h n ent uni s i t s peri of rot i of t pl od at on he ane of oscil i f a Foucaul pendul lat on or t um i s . H ence w e fnd t i hat t he

(25) t hrough w hi t pl ch he ane of oscil i rot es i lat on at n From equat on 23, w e can al fnd t angl i so i he e one hour by fndi t val of t argum ent of the cosi f i ng he ue he ne or hour, t hus

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(26) The l i ude of W arw i U ni at t ck versi y i 52 22'48' (52 degrees, 22 m i es and 48 seconds). t s ' nut Insert ng t s i o equat ons 25 and 26 gi i hi nt i ves val ues of 30. hours and 3 11. 9. The yelow lnes on t foor di ay are separat by thi angl l i he l spl ed s e. Page cont : Ant act hony H i bbs Last revi sed: Sat 2 O ct 2010

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