Foucault’s pendulum in Montepulciano

A week dedicated to science, stage of these event is the wonderful temple of San Biagio where for a week there will be the Pendulum of Foucault.

The pendulum takes the name from its inventor, Léon Foucault that in a 1851 put on the chapel of the Pantheon of Paris a sphere of 28kg hung to a cable of 60 meters in order to demonstrate with an experiment the existence of the terrestrial spin. If in fact the Earth were firm, the pendulum would have to trace an only line onthe pavement.

In the course of the experiment, the physicist left to oscillate the pendulum and saw that he designed of the lines under it. Since the plan of free oscillation of a pendulum does not change in the time, the lines were to indicate that it was the ground below to move.

Foucault demonstrated that the angle that grouped theselines was from relating to the latitude of the place.

This experiment is repeated in San Biagio Church in Montepulciano until 16th April.