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published by
the WGBH Educational Foundation
content provider: the Kentucky Educational Television
This 6-minute video stars a young boy who is concerned about spinning through space until he is introduced to a Foucault pendulum. He learns all about how French scientist Leon Foucault experimented with the pendulum in the 19th century to demonstrate Earth's rotation and its steady, measurable motion. The pendulum in the video isn't deviating from its fixed endpoint.....the rotating Earth just makes it look that way. The video is appropriate for elementary school.
This video features the Foucault's Pendulum located at the Lexington, KY, public library. Please note that this resource requires Flash.
Next Generation Science StandardsMotion and Stability: Forces and Interactions (5-PS2)
Students who demonstrate understanding can: (5)
Disciplinary Core Ideas (K-12)
Forces and Motion (PS2.A)
Types of Interactions (PS2.B)
Earth and the Solar System (ESS1.B)
Crosscutting Concepts (K-12)
Patterns (K-12)
Scientific Knowledge Assumes an Order and Consistency in Natural Systems (1-12)
NGSS Science and Engineering Practices (K-12)
Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions (K-12)
NGSS Nature of Science Standards (K-12)
Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions (K-12)
AAAS Benchmark Alignments (2008 Version)4. The Physical Setting
4B. The Earth
4G. Forces of Nature
11. Common Themes
11C. Constancy and Change
12. Habits of Mind
12E. Critical-Response Skills
This resource is part of 5 Physics Front Topical Units.
Topic: Kinematics: The Physics of Motion
Unit Title: Planetary Motion How did scientists first directly demonstrate that the Earth rotates? This short video, seen through the eyes of a child, explores the work of French scientist Leon Foucault -- a pendulum seems to rotate as it swings, but there is no external force that would cause the rotation (clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, counterclockwise in the Southern). Through experiments, Foucault showed that it's not the pendulum doing the rotating. It's the steady, predictable movement of the Earth's rotation on its axis. Links to Units:
Topic: Dynamics: Forces and Motion
Unit Title: The Universal Law of Gravitation How did scientists first directly demonstrate that the Earth rotates? This short video, seen through the eyes of a child, explores the work of French scientist Leon Foucault -- a pendulum seems to rotate as it swings, but there is no external force that would cause the rotation (clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, counterclockwise in the Southern). Through experiments, Foucault showed that it's not the pendulum doing the rotating. It's the steady, predictable movement of the Earth's rotation. Links to Units:
Topic: Periodic and Simple Harmonic Motion
Unit Title: Conservation of Energy and Forces on a Spring This 4-minute video stars a boy who is concerned about spinning off into space, until he is introduced to a Foucault pendulum. The video does an excellent job of explaining how the motion of a pendulum demonstrates that the Earth is rotating on its axis. The pendulum is located at the Lexington, KY, public library, and is itself a thing of beauty. Links to Units:
Topic: Astronomy
Unit Title: Astronomy: An Historical Perspective How did scientists first directly demonstrate that the Earth rotates? This short video, seen through the eyes of a child, explores the work of French scientist Leon Foucault -- a pendulum seems to rotate as it swings, but there is no external force that would cause the rotation (clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, counterclockwise in the Southern). Through experiments, Foucault showed that it's not the pendulum doing the rotating. It's the steady, predictable movement of the Earth's rotation on its axis. Links to Units:
Topic: Astronomy
Unit Title: Astronomy Resources for the K-8 Classroom How did scientists first directly demonstrate that the Earth rotates? This short video, seen through the eyes of a child, explores the work of French scientist Leon Foucault -- a pendulum seems to rotate as it swings, but there is no external force that would cause the rotation (clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, counterclockwise in the Southern). Through experiments, Foucault showed that it's not the pendulum doing the rotating. It's the steady, predictable movement of the Earth's rotation on its axis. Links to Units:
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Record Link
<a href="https://www.compadre.org/precollege/items/detail.cfm?ID=11520">Kentucky Educational Television. PBS Learning Media: Thank Goodness for Gravity. Boston: WGBH Educational Foundation, September 30, 2010.</a>
AIP Format
(WGBH Educational Foundation, Boston, 2009), WWW Document, (https://oeta.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/ket09.sci.ess.gravity/thank-goodness-for-gravity/).
AJP/PRST-PER
PBS Learning Media: Thank Goodness for Gravity (WGBH Educational Foundation, Boston, 2009), <https://oeta.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/ket09.sci.ess.gravity/thank-goodness-for-gravity/>.
APA Format
PBS Learning Media: Thank Goodness for Gravity. (2010, September 30). Retrieved November 6, 2024, from WGBH Educational Foundation: https://oeta.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/ket09.sci.ess.gravity/thank-goodness-for-gravity/
Chicago Format
Kentucky Educational Television. PBS Learning Media: Thank Goodness for Gravity. Boston: WGBH Educational Foundation, September 30, 2010. https://oeta.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/ket09.sci.ess.gravity/thank-goodness-for-gravity/ (accessed 6 November 2024).
MLA Format
PBS Learning Media: Thank Goodness for Gravity. Boston: WGBH Educational Foundation, 2009. 30 Sep. 2010. Kentucky Educational Television. 6 Nov. 2024 <https://oeta.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/ket09.sci.ess.gravity/thank-goodness-for-gravity/>.
BibTeX Export Format
@misc{
Title = {PBS Learning Media: Thank Goodness for Gravity},
Publisher = {WGBH Educational Foundation},
Volume = {2024},
Number = {6 November 2024},
Month = {September 30, 2010},
Year = {2009}
}
Refer Export Format
%T PBS Learning Media: Thank Goodness for Gravity %D September 30, 2010 %I WGBH Educational Foundation %C Boston %U https://oeta.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/ket09.sci.ess.gravity/thank-goodness-for-gravity/ %O application/flash
EndNote Export Format
%0 Electronic Source %D September 30, 2010 %T PBS Learning Media: Thank Goodness for Gravity %I WGBH Educational Foundation %V 2024 %N 6 November 2024 %8 September 30, 2010 %9 application/flash %U https://oeta.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/ket09.sci.ess.gravity/thank-goodness-for-gravity/ Disclaimer: ComPADRE offers citation styles as a guide only. We cannot offer interpretations about citations as this is an automated procedure. Please refer to the style manuals in the Citation Source Information area for clarifications.
Citation Source Information
The AIP Style presented is based on information from the AIP Style Manual. The APA Style presented is based on information from APA Style.org: Electronic References. The Chicago Style presented is based on information from Examples of Chicago-Style Documentation. The MLA Style presented is based on information from the MLA FAQ. This resource is stored in 9 shared folders. You must login to access shared folders. PBS Learning Media: Thank Goodness for Gravity:
Same topic as
Science NetLinks: Foucault's Pendulum
A multimedia high school lesson to help students understand how the Foucault Pendulum proves that the Earth is rotating. relation by Caroline HallKnow of another related resource? Login to relate this resource to it. |
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