The Herzstein Foucault Pendulum at the Houston Museum of Natural Science has been discontinued after decades, and museumgoers are wondering why.
The museum’s pendulum is connected to a 61-foot-long cable. It usually wobbles as the Earth rotates, knocking over pegs, until it suddenly stopped this month.
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Why did Foucault’s pendulum stop?
Foucault’s Pendulum at the Museum of Natural Sciences, February 27, 2008. Wednesday, February 27, 2008, Houston. (Eric Kane/Houston Chronicle)
The Houston Museum of Natural Science posted on its TikTok account that its Foucault pendulum stopped swinging this month.
In the video, Johnny Hemberger of HMNS says that all pendulums require a nudge to counteract mechanical friction and air resistance. At HMNS, this push comes from the electromagnetic pull of a metal ferrule at the top of the cable, which only moves in the same direction the cable travels.
It’s rare for the pendulum to stop, but a mechanical fix is needed, he said.
“As far as we’re concerned, that mechanism has stopped,” Hemberger said. “Because, like all mechanical equipment, it requires maintenance from time to time, especially after decades of almost non-stop operation.”
Hemberger said the pendulum could soon swing back again.
The museum released another video this week telling visitors and followers it was working on fixing the problem.
“Enjoy this rare phenomenon while it lasts,” the title said, referring to the stopped pendulum.
What is Foucault’s pendulum?
According to HMNS, the Foucault pendulum was invented by French physicist Jean Bernard Léon Foucault and first proposed in Paris in 1851.
It demonstrates the Earth’s rotation: the pendulum doesn’t actually change direction; Instead, the Earth spins beneath it.
This article was originally published on Foucault’s pendulum at the Houston Museum of Natural Science has stopped swinging after decades. Here’s the thing..
