AS THE
WORLD TURNS By Julie Caspersen
St. Andrew’s students can watch the world turn every day. Our Foucault Pendulum displays this motion, which has a renovated home at the entrance to the science and technology wing in McLaughlin Hall. The device is named after Léon Foucault, a French physicist who built one to prove that the Earth is not stationary but rotates. His pendulum had its public debut in February 1851 in Paris, attracting crowds invited “to see the earth spinning.” Fast forward 120 years, and SAC was gifted its very own, one of 13 in Canada. The donation came in 1971 following the death of a young student. Peter Dobbin ’73 attended from 1967 to 1969 and passed away at the age of 15. His parents, Cam ’45 and Dolly, chose to honour their son with a lasting educational gift that can be used as a teaching tool in physics classes. “It’s science in action. It’s not just science in theory,” enthuses Marke Jones, Head of Science. Having such a unique device in a school setting brings life to physics lessons. The pendulum is visible proof that the world rotates, something SAC students witness every day as they pass the pendulum and notice that its direction of swing changes. “The pendulum has several interesting physics concepts related to its motion. It also has practical applications in clocks or as a visible demonstration that proves the Earth spins on its axis,” says Jamie Inglis ’91, Associate Director, Student Life and Grade 11 physics teacher. “In physics, the goal is to make science tangible, make it relate to the students’ world.” During the recent renovation of McLaughlin Hall into a state-of-the-art 10 The ANDREAN Spring 2022
science and technology wing that opened in February 2021, the pendulum also got an upgrade, thanks to Jamie, a self-described tinkerer. He updated the mechanism that controls the pendulum, which is governed by electromagnetism. “The control system was developed using concepts and technologies that we discuss in detail in the Grade 11 Physics course. The fact that we can study the motion of the pendulum as well as fully understand the mechanism that keeps it moving provides valuable learning opportunities for students,” he says. “Any opportunity that we have to link concepts with real-life tangible applications brings science to life and makes the subject more engaging for our students.” The pendulum’s motion is studied in the Grade 12 Physics unit on frames of reference and relative motion, and it is a constant fascination to students of all ages who, along with visitors to campus, can often be seen gathered at the glass casing. The SAC pendulum is a beautiful, scientific, and meditative installation – just one more thing that makes St. Andrew’s special. X
