Evidence of the Earth’s

Rotation

Astronomy Project By: Alix Joy

Four Objects That Show

Evidence of Earth’s Rotation

Pendulums

Stars

Winds

Waters

Pendulum: a weighted object suspended from a fixed point so it has the ability to swing freely to and fro under the action of gravity and commonly used to regulate movements (such as

that of clockwork)

From www.Webster.com

Foucault, a former French physicist, preformed a demonstration of the

pendulum. This demonstration later gave proof to the fact that the

earth rotates…

Jean Bernard Léon Foucault

FOUCAULT ’S DEMONSRTATION Foucault’s demonstration revealed an

accurate set of data of earth’s rotation. To demonstrate his pendulum theory, Foucault used a steel ball with a pin mounted on its base. This steel shape weighed a total of

62 lbs. This pendulum was hung from the dome of the Pantheon in Paris from a

220 ft. piano wire.

http://www.calacademy.org/products/pendulum/page7.htm

FOUCAULT ’S DEMONSRTATION

On the floor beneath the pendulum, a pit of sand had been placed. This pit of sand was to be marked by the pin of the pendulum’s base, presenting the

path at which the pendulum had swung.

http://www.calacademy.org/products/pendulum/page7.htm

The Sun and The Stars…

The sun appears to move across the sky each and every day and at night the stars

also seem to do the same…

But knowing that the sun and stars don’t move gives evidence that the earth has to be moving.

This would establish why we have night and day but it also shows that the earth does rotate.

http://www.onr.navy.mil/focus/spacesciences/observingsky/motion1.htm

As many people observe, the stars that we see each month seem to change or be in

slightly different places. However, the stars we see each month are all different and this

is because of the fact that the earth revolves around the sun…

After a few days, the earth moves further along it’s orbiting path. Therefore, the stars

that were visible in the previous days or even months are now behind the earth and

the sun now remains in the way.

http://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/content/visualizations/es0408/es0408page01.cfm?

The Ocean Waters…

The ocean moves because of the gravitational pull of the

earth’s rotation. As a result of the pull, the water has tidal

currents and waves…

What Would Happen If The Earth Suddenly

Stopped???

• All rockets and airplanes would fly in a straight path exactly where they are supposed to go

without the deflection of wind which causes an aircraft to fly in an arc in order to get from

point A to point B…

If Earth Stopped Rotating WE WOULD NOT HAVE SUCH STORMS AS

• CYCLONES •HURRICANES

•TYPHOONS •TORNADOES

AND…

IT WOULD ALWAYS RAIN IN THE SAME

AREAS…

• Beynon, Zinaida. "http://www.calacademy.org/products/pendulum/page5.htm." Calacademy. 1999. California Academy of Sciences. May 2006 <http://www.calacademy.org/products/pendulum/index.html>.

• Beynon, Zinaida. "http://www.calacademy.org/products/pendulum/page7.htm." Calacademy. 1999. California Academy of Sciences. May 2006 <http://www.calacademy.org/products/pendulum/index.html>.

• Beynon, Zinaida. "http://www.calacademy.org/products/pendulum/page9.htm." Calacademy. 1999. California Academy of Sciences. May 2006 <http://www.calacademy.org/products/pendulum/index.html>.

• Beynon, Zinaida. "http://www.calacademy.org/products/pendulum/page12.htm." Calacademy. 1999. California Academy of Sciences. May 2006 <http://www.calacademy.org/products/pendulum/index.html>.

• "http://www.onr.navy.mil/focus/spacesciences/observingsky/motion1.htm." May 2006. • "http://www.webster.com/dictionary/pendulum." Webster. 2006. Merriam-Webster, Inc. May

2006 <http://www.webster.com/>. • Loomis, Jennifer.

"http://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/content/visualizations/es0408/es0408page01.cfm?" Classzone. McDougal Littell. May 2006 <http://www.classzone.com>.

• Spaulding, Nancy E., and Samuel N. Namowitz. Heath Earth Science. Boston: D.C. Heath and Company, 1994. 457-469.

• Tiner, John H. 100 Scientists Who Changed the World. 1st ed. Milwaukee: World Almanac Library, 2003. 54.