Leon Foucault

Léon Foucault was a French physicist famous for devising experiments that demonstrated the Earth's rotation. His most notable achievement is the Foucault Pendulum—a long pendulum free to swing in any direction, which visibly shifts its swing plane over time, providing a direct, observable proof that the Earth is turning on its axis. This simple yet elegant experiment helped confirm a key aspect of Earth's movement, making complex planetary motion understandable and observable in a laboratory setting. Foucault’s work significantly advanced the understanding of Earth's dynamics in physics and astronomy.