FOUCAULT'S PENDULUM Antique Globe

Foucault's pendulums are positioned at the poles, equator, and at 30 and 60 degrees north and south. At the poles, the swing remains the same relative to the camera and the pendulum precesses 360 degrees in one revolution of the planet (one day). The pendulums at the equator continue to swing above the equator and do not precess. The pendulums at 30 and 60 degrees precess more slowly than the ones at the poles. Viewed from the North Pole, the Earth spins anticlockwise. The pendulum at the North Pole therefore moves clockwise relative to the ground. In the northern hemisphere, the pendulums all precess clockwise, although the precession gets slower closer to the equator. At the equator the precession time becomes infinite (i.e. there is no precession). Moving to the southern hemisphere, the pendulums all precess anticlockwise.

Simulation using a physics engine to create the movements.

Antique globe with gold and brass pendulums.