While the Sengol stole the limelight at the new Parliament, there is another less known but beautiful installation in that building - Facoult's Pendulum.
So what is the big deal about it?
So what is the big deal about it?
This pendulum is 22m long and weighs 36 kgs. It is the largest Facoult's Pendulum in India.
Facoult's Pendulum is not an ordinary pendulum. It is a clever contraption that proves that the earth is round and rotates on its axis !!!
But how?
Facoult's Pendulum is not an ordinary pendulum. It is a clever contraption that proves that the earth is round and rotates on its axis !!!
But how?
When a heavy bob is set in motion with a really long wire, you would expect it to oscillate in the same plane. But no that's not what happens. Since the Earth is rotating, Pendulum would "appear" to swing along a different line every time. That variation depends on the latitude
The Pendulum's swing would appear to complete a full rotation after some hours. That time is dependent on the latitude of the place.
At the latitude of our Parliament, it would 49 hours, 59 minutes, and 18 seconds to complete one full rotation. Interestingly at the poles, Facoult's Pendulum would take exactly 24 hours while at the equator it would not rotate at all!!!
Facoult's Pendulum makes beautiful meditative patterns in sand (not in our Parliament) and is quite a sight in many famous museums across the world.
But India didn't have even a single Facoult's Pendulum till 1991! So much for Jawahar "scientific temper" Nehru.
But India didn't have even a single Facoult's Pendulum till 1991! So much for Jawahar "scientific temper" Nehru.
So what is Facoult's Pendulum doing in the Parliament?
To me, it exemplifies Article 51(A) that talks about developing scientific temper
To me, it exemplifies Article 51(A) that talks about developing scientific temper
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