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A good starting point for this project is the June, 1958 Amateur Scientist 
column in Scientific American.  Other starting points:
Physics Teacher
Review of Scientific Instruments
In addition to Foucault pendulum article check out any recent pendulum articles.
The trick is devising a good drive mechanism that doesn't upset the pendulum.
Remember that pendulums only work well for small oscillations hence long is good!
Reagan Cole
Durham, NC

-----Original Message-----
>From: David Smith <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: May 10, 2007 2:24 PM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Foucault's pendulum
>
>ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
>Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
>*****************************************************************************
>
>To build an effective Foucault pendulum, my understanding is you need a very
>long pendulum and to see it active over a long enough period of time to see
>the rotation, you need to have the pendulum driven by some sort of energy
>input that has to be designed very carefully so that it does not change the
>motion.  There are directions/descriptions for such devices that have been
>posted as links to this list before, but they are far beyond the capacity of
>most people to build at home.  There's probably a good reason that you only
>see these things in the stairwells or mufti-story lobbies of science
>centers.
>
>Dave Smith
>Da Vinci Science Center, Allentown, PA
>
>On 5/10/07, Katie Kulbaba <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>
>> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
>> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
>> institutions.
>>
>> *****************************************************************************
>>
>> Does anyone have a lesson plan for a grade 5 student to build a Foucault
>> pendulum at home using dominoes (specifically) and other simple household
>> objects?  I have found many examples, but no actual lesson plans with
>> materials and instructions.
>>
>> Thank you for your assistance!
>>
>> Katie Kulbaba
>> Orlando Science Center
>> (407) 514-2063
>> [log in to unmask]
>> www.osc.org
>>
>>
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>
>
>
>-- 
>David L. Smith
>Allentown, PA
>[log in to unmask]
>
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>More information about the Informal Science Education Network and the
>Association of Science-Technology Centers may be found at http://www.astc.org.
>
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