Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
History of science at its best, January 15, 2004
This review is from: Pendulum: Leon Foucault and the Triumph of Science (Hardcover)
Amir Aczel's "Pendulum: Leon Foucault and the Triumph of Science" artfully combines history, biography, and science in a way that captures the human drama behind Foucault's demonstration--as irrefutable as it was ingenious--of the earth's rotation in the 1850s. Before reading "Pendulum" I had thought that after the work of Galileo, Kepler, Copernicus, Newton, it was commonly accepted by all that the earth rotated on its axis. Apparently I was wrong: all accepted this proposition save the Catholic Church, who held fast to the believe that the earth stood fixed and motionless, while all the heavens revolved around it. Curiously, while the Church persecuted (indeed, killed) anyone who maintained that the earth rotated, even as early as 1615, Cardinal Bellarmine articulated the position that if an irrefutable proof could be given of the earth's rotation, the Church would change its view. Aczel recounts how Foucault, an outsider to the world of the French academy, without the benefit of rigorous university training in mathematics and science, devised his demonstration, proved a surprising relationship between the behavior of the pendulum and the lattitude of the location of the pendulum, and finally overcame systematic discrimination by the reigning authorities of the French academy and was finally recognized for his achievements. Foucault enjoyed the support of the emperor Louis Napoleon, who himself had dabbled with science during his time in prison, years before. Louis Napoleon arranged for a public viewing of Foucault's elegant pendulum demonstration in the Pantheon in Paris, which provided a great forum for the Parisian public to see science in action and history in the making. Aczel is a master of relating episodes in the history of science and mathematics to a general audience. As in his earlier books, Aczel deftly sketches relevant biographical detail of the major dramatis personae and the historical context of the story. His explanations of the underlying scientific and mathematical principles are notably clear and jargon-free. "Pendulum" weaves Church history, French political and social history, biography, and science into a cohesive narrative that highlights, above all else, the human drama of scientific discovery. This is the history of science at its best.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Physical Evidence Of The Unobvious Truth, November 3, 2003
This review is from: Pendulum: Leon Foucault and the Triumph of Science (Hardcover)
"You are invited to come to see the Earth turn, tomorrow, from three to five, at Meridian Hall ..." This curious invitation was sent on cards to all the known scientists in Paris on 2 February 1851. The physicist who issued them was convinced that at last he was going to be established as a scientist of repute; he had other discoveries and inventions to his name, but had garnered little official acknowledgement. In _Pendulum: Léon Foucault and the Triumph of Science_ (Atria Books), Amir Aczel, one of our best explicators of science themes, gives a remarkable account of just how it was physically demonstrated that we are not the center of everything. The book takes in a good deal of history of the ideas of astronomical movements, and nicely places Foucault's invention within his society and time. Aczel rightly gives a history of the idea that the Earth turned, an idea that was at one time dangerous to hold because of religious implications. But the only thing the heliocentric model really had going for it was that the mathematical calculations for understanding and predicting celestial motion were simpler. That made it a good model, but still, you could sit on a hill and night and watch as the heavens moved, and feel no spin of the Earth. Foucault enabled us to see and feel a bit more accurately. He was a brilliant engineer, and an even better tinkerer with gadgets at his disposal. He had worked with electric lighting, microscopy, and photography, and turned his attention to the movement of the Earth. Mathematicians and physicists had said that such motion could never be observed, but Foucault worked in his cellar for months, perfecting his experiment, which seems so very simple in retrospect. He designed a series of larger pendulums. A pendulum swings in its own plane; on a moving Earth, the pendulum seems to shift around, depending on where the pendulum is located. People loved the huge pendulums and the clear demonstration. Foucault was thereafter a celebrity, a status that he enjoyed. But it did not help him with the members of the Academy of Sciences. They were angry. He was not a trained scientist. He was not a trained mathematician. He had scooped them all with a simple experiment that had a universal appeal. It was not until three years before his death in 1865 that he was elected a member of the Academy, although he had gained many honors by that time. One of his further inventions was the gyroscope, which he invented specifically to see in another way the turning of the Earth (his word for it, "gyroscope", means literally "turn see"). Once again, he demonstrated the truth that the calculations had shown, but in a physical way. Aczel's book clearly shows how Foucault's ideas fit into the progression of our better understanding (and acceptance) of celestial movements. There are clear explanations here as well of how Coriolis force, a force Foucault knew nothing about, acts on pendulums, cannonballs, and storms, as well as how Foucault and his idea fit into the religious and political times. This is a readable tribute to a remarkable thinker. Come see the Earth turn.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Might need some re-organization, August 26, 2003
This review is from: Pendulum: Leon Foucault and the Triumph of Science (Hardcover)
I am not a professional scientist. Though I would say the author presents a clear idea of the Pendulum, the depth of understanding, unfortunely, in my humble opinion, is not enough. Also, the author seems to be dragged by the history/blunder of Louise-Napoleon too much that he devoted a great length of the book about him. A whole chapter is about a military defeat in Sedan against Prussia after Foucault's death. I have no idea how it is related Foucault & the Pendulum. However, in a much shorter chapter in the middle of the book, the author only touches the topic of gyroscope, another great achievement by Foucault, lightly. Also, it would have been much better if the second proof of Foucault's sine law has a better illustration since the radius r of the pendulum is a really important part of the proof, it is weird that the diagram/illustration of the proof just misses it.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
