Pendulum

Leon Foucault and the Triumph of Science

By: Amir D. Aczel

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Paperback | 1 September 2004 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Paperback
288 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
20.32 x 12.7 x 2.03

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He was neither a mathematician nor a trained physicist and yet Léon Foucault always knew that a mysterious force of nature was among us. Like Newton, Galileo, Copernicus, and others before him, Foucault sensed a dramatic relationship between the rotating skies above and the seemingly motionless ground beneath our feet. But it wasn't until 1851 -- in Paris, inside the Panthéon, and in the company of fellow amateur scientist Napoleon III -- that Foucault swung a pendulum and demonstrated an extraordinary truth about the world: that it turns on its axis.
Pendulum is a fascinating journey through the mind and findings of one of the most important and lesser-known characters in the history of science. Through careful research and lively anecdotes, world-renowned author Amir D. Aczel reveals the astonishing range and breadth of Foucault's discoveries. For, in addition to offering the first unequivocal proof of Earth's rotation, Foucault gave us the modern electric compass and microscope, was a pioneer in photographic technology, and made remarkable deductions about color theory, heat waves, and the speed of light.
At its heart, Pendulum is a story about the illustrious period in France during the Second Empire; the crucial triumph of science over religion; and, most compelling, the life of a struggling, self-made man whose pursuit of knowledge continues to inform our notions about the universe today.

Industry Reviews

The Christian Science Monitor This intriguing account...exemplifies a lesson that humanity seems forever reluctant to learn: How the world appears depends on your frame of reference.

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You Can Find This Book In

Non-Fiction Biographies & True Stories Biographies Science, Technology & Medicine Biographies Science Science in General Popular Science Historical, Political and Military Biographies History of Science Physics Applied Physics Astrophysics

Preface
A Stunning Discovery in the Cellar
Ancient Logic: Bible and Inquisition
Failed Experiments with Falling Bodies
A Science "Irregular" in the Age of the Engineer
The Meridian of Paris"Come See the Earth Turn
"Mathematical Bedlam
A New Bonaparte
The Force of Coriolis
The Pantheon
The Gyroscope
The Coup d'Etat and the Second Empire
An Unemployed Genius
The Observatory Physicist
Final Glory
A Premature End
The Defeat at Sedan
Aftermath
Appendix: Proofs of Foucault's Sine Law
Acknowledgments
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

Pendulum

Leon Foucault and the Triumph of Science

At a Glance

Paperback

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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