A Laboratory Method of Demonstrating the Earth's Rotation

by Arthur Holly Compton

The two laboratory methods in general use for proving the rotation of the earth are Foucault's pendulum and gyroscope experiments. The first is inapplicable in many laboratories, because there is no convenient place to hang a sufficiently long and heavy pendulum, while the apparatus for the second is necessarily expensive. The following experiment is designed to provide a simple and convenient means by which the earth's rotation may be demonstrated in a small laboratory. The demonstration depends upon the fact that, if a circular tube filled with water is placed in a plane perpendicular to the earth's axis, the upper part of the tube with the water in it is moving toward the east with respect to the lower part. If the tube is quickly rotated through 180 degrees about its east and west diameter as an axis, the part of the tube which was on the upper side attains a relatively westward motion as it is turned downwards (since it is drawing nearer the earth's axis). But the water in this part of the tube retains a large part of its original eastward motion, and this can be detected by suitable means. 1,680 words, original print: 1913

14 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 21, 2014

About the author

American physicist Arthur Holly Compton shared a Nobel Prize of 1927 for his discovery of the effect.

An electron scatters electromagnetic radiation, especially an x-ray or a gamma-ray photon, and Compton effect increases its wavelength.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_...