Michel Foucault of left-wing groups involved in campaigns against racism and human rights abuses and for penal reform. Foucault later published "Discipline and Punish" (1975) and "The History of Sexuality" (1976), in which he developed archaeological and genealogical methods which emphasized the role that power plays in society. Foucault died in Paris of neurological problems compounded by HIV/AIDS; he became the first public figure in France to die from the disease. His partner Daniel Defert founded the AIDES charity in his memory. Paul-Michel Foucault was born on 15 October 1926 in the city of Poitiers, west-central France, as the second of three
Foucault pendulum vector diagrams The central axis of the pendulum aligns with the axis of rotation of the Earth. The central axis of the pendulum is always determined by the force of gravity directed towards the center of the Earth. A pendulum bob at rest at the North Pole still has spin on the bob. The Foucault pendulum connection is constructed such that the pendulum is free to swing in any direction. If the bob is displaced from the central axis of the pendulum in preparation for swinging and held in place, then the bob will revolve about the central axis of the pendulum