A Foucault pendulum is a simple mass-on-a-long-string pendulum suspended from a tall ceiling. It was first exhibited at the Pantheon building in Paris, and because of the rotation of Earth about its axis, the Pantheon rotates about the pendulum as the day passes. A similar pendulum set up at the North Pole would show the floor below the pendulum rotating one circle in a 24-hr period. If a Foucault pendulum is installed at the equator so that it originally swings in the east-west direction, after 6 hours what is the direction of the swing?
A) east-west
B) north-south
C) NE-SW
D) NW-SE
E) in any direction

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The correct answer is A because at the equator, the Foucault pendulum will swing in the east-west direction and will not change its direction after 6 hours.

A Foucault Pendulum Is a Simple Mass-On-A-Long-String Pendulum Suspended from a Tall