The Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1846-1852, 1851-05-15
From he London Globe, April5 s.
Rotation of the Earth Rendered Visible.

Rotation of the Earth Rendered Visible.
The experiment now being exhibited
in Paris, by which the diurnal rotation Of
the earth is rendered paIpable To tho
seuses, is n of the most remarkable of
the modern verilicatiuns of theory. AL.
though the demonstration by which the
rotation Of the earth has been establish
ed be such as to carry a conviction 10 The
minds of all who are capable of compre-
bending it, To which nothing can be i'm
agined to add either force or ~clearncss.
nevertheless even the natural philosopher
himself caunot regard the present exper.
iment without feelings of profound inter.
est and satisfaction. and to the grea! mass,
To whom the complicated ply steal ple.
nomena 10y which the rotation ui The earth
has been established ale incomprchensi.
Die, this experiment, is invaluable. AT
the centre OF the dune of the Pantheon
a ti0e wire is attached, from which a
sphere Of metal, four or Ave inches in di.
ameter, is suspended so as TO llang near
the hnor IF the building. THIS apparatus
is put in vibration after tie manner of n
pendulum. Uuder, and concentrated
within II, is placed a circular table, some
twenty feet in diameter, tie ciicunrtr.
cnce Of which is divided into dcg,ecs.
minutes, &c and the divisions numbered,
Now, il can be shown by the most ele.
menlary principles Of mechanics, that
surprising The earth to have the diurnal
m 'i'"n upon its axis which is imputed to
~ and..which explains the phenomena of
day aud night, &c, the plane in which
this pendulum vibrates will not be affect.
ed 10y the diurnal motion, but will main.
tam strictly the same direction during
twenty four hours. In this interval, how.
ever, the table over which the pendulum
is suspended viii continually change Tia
position in virtue Of the diurnal motion.
so as to make a complete revolution
round its centre.
Since, then, the table thus rovolves.
aud the pendulum which vibrates over il
does not revolvc, the consequence is that
a limo traced upon the table by O point
projecting from The bottom of the ball
will change its direction relatively to the
table, from minute To minute and from
hour /" hour, so That if such point were
a pencil and that paper were spread upon
the table. the course formed by this pen.
clI during the twenty four hours would
form system of lines radiating from the
centre of the table, and the two lines
formed after the interval of one hour
would always form an angle with each
ether of IS deg, bel g the twenty. fourth
part OF the circumference. Now this is
rendered actually visible to the crowds
which daily flock 20 The Pantheon to wit.
nessdhis remarkable experiment. The
pracIlsed eye of a correct observer, es.
peciaIIy if aided by a proper optical in.
S'rument. may actually see the motion
which the table has, in common with the
earth under the pendulum, between
two successive vibrations. Ii is, IN fact,
apparent that the ball, Or rather the point
To the bottom of the ball, does
return precisely to the same point of
the circumference of the table aftertwo
Successful vibrations. Thus is rendered
$50.
visible the motion which the table has in
common with the earth. 1t is true that.
correctly speaking, the table does not
turn round its 0wn centre, fer although
the table be turned. in common with Vbe
surface of the earth, round the earth's
axis, the point of suspension IF the PEN
is turned also in the same limo
The same axis, beinI continually
maintained vertical above the centre of
he table. The plane in which tn zen.
1l'um vlbrates does not, however, par
AXE OF the motion, and, consequently,
las the appearance OF revolving once in
.wenty four hours over the table, while,
u reality it Is the table which revolves
in twenty four hours under it.
u iBCOCK a. CO.
Wholesale Grocers and ~Commiaa;on