Waubonsee Community College

Pendulum, Léon Foucault and the triumph of science, Amir D. Aczel

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 251-264) and index

individual biography

illustrationsmaps

index present

non fiction

Pendulum

bibliography

52836411

Amir D. Aczel

Léon Foucault and the triumph of science

In 1851, struggling, self-taught physicist Lǒn Foucault performed a dramatic demonstration inside the Panthǒn in Paris. By tracking a pendulum's path as it swung repeatedly across the interior of the large ceremonial hall, Foucault offered the first definitive proof -- before an audience that comprised the cream of Parisian society, including the future emperor, Napoleon III -- that the earth revolves on its axis. In this book, Amir Aczel has revealed the life of a gifted physicist who had almost no formal education in science, and yet managed to succeed despite the adversity he suffered at the hands of his peers. Foucault gave us the modern electric compass, devised an electric microscope, invented photographic technology, and made remarkable deductions about color theory, heat waves, and the speed of light. Yet until now so little has been known about his life. Pendulum tells of the illustrious period in France during the Second Empire; of Foucault's relationship with Napoleon III, a colorful character in his own right; and -- most notably -- of the crucial triumph of science over religion

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 Panthéon -- The Gyroscope -- The Coup d'État and the second empire -- An unemployed genius -- The observatory physicist -- Final glory -- A premature end -- The defeat at Sedan -- Aftermath

Léon Foucault and the triumph of science