
Pendulum
Leon Foucault and the Triumph of Science
Amir D. Aczel(Author)
Atria Books (Publisher)
Published on 14. September 2004
Book
Paperback/Softback
288 pages
978-0-7434-6479-6 (ISBN)
Description
In 1853, before the upper crust of French society - including the emperor Napoleon III - a little known physicist named Leon Foucault staged a dramatic demonstration inside the Pantheon in Paris. He set in motion a seventy metre long pendulum that swung slowly across the interior of the large ceremonial hall, hanging from its high ceiling. Foucault's famous experiment revolutionised the entire world of science, and of society itself. He had proved, beyond a doubt, that the earth does indeed rotate on its axis. In PENDULUM, renowned scientist and author Amir Aczel brings readers the first detailed non-fiction account of how this struggling physicist came to his remarkable breakthrough, as well as the opposition he faced - both before and after his demonstration - at the hands of the scientific community in France. Drawing a wonderfully vivid portrait of Napoleon III and Paris during the Second Empire, Aczel chronicles France's scientific glory during the 1850s, and evaluates how Foucault's theories and achievements are viewed in the current perspective of modern science.
Reviews / Votes
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. Simon Winchester author of The Professor and the Madman [S]eductively captivating....With all the clarity and narrative brilliance that has become [Aczel's] hallmark.More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
21 b&w illus t-o
Dimensions
Height: 203 mm
Width: 127 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
349 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7434-6479-6 (9780743464796)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
11/2007
1st Edition
Atria Books
€14.83
Available for download
Person
Amir D. Aczel is the bestselling author of ten books, including Entanglement, The Riddle of the Compass, The Mystery of the Aleph, and Fermat's Last Theorem. He lives in Brookline, Massachusetts.