A physical pendulum undergoes simple harmonic motion when displaced by a small angle. The oscillations are no longer simple harmonic motion when it is released from a large angle. The pendulum's pivot ...

In 1851, the French physicist Léon Foucault provided an experimental proof of the Earth’s rotation using a pendulum. Although Foucault is best known for this ingenious experiment, he also made several ...

When oscillating, the pendulum slowly shifts between torsional and vertical modes of oscillation. When stretched down, the spring applies a torque to the mass to help it unstretch. When compressed up, ...

During Foucalt’s life it was already proven that the Earth rotated, thanks to experiments which showed that weights dropped from tall towers fell slightly to one side rather than straight down. This ...

Cavendish-like: A schematic diagram of the proposed experiment on gravitational interaction between two torsion balances. Two torsion pendula are placed with their equilibrium orientations (dashed ...

The advent of smartphone technology has revolutionised physics education by transforming everyday devices into versatile and accessible scientific instruments. These experiments utilise the embedded ...