Léon Foucault Catholicism that he previously abandoned. Foucault died of what was probably a rapidly developing case of multiple sclerosis on 11 February 1868 in Paris and was buried in the Montmartre Cemetery. The asteroid 5668 Foucault was named for him. His is one of the 72 names inscribed on the Eiffel Tower. Collected Works: Léon Foucault Jean Bernard Léon Foucault (; 18 September 1819 – 11 February 1868) was a French physicist best known for his demonstration of the Foucault pendulum, a device demonstrating the effect of the Earth's rotation. He also made an early measurement of the speed of light,
Foucault pendulum vector diagrams there are two related points projected onto the surface of the Earth. These points can be used to determine the corresponding surface velocity components that are in opposition and not acting in the same plane of the swing. The magnitude of the difference between these two points (for a given latitude of the center-point) is a relative measure of the time to observe one full rotation. The ratio of the velocity vector difference to the corresponding points at the North Pole with the same equidistance from the center of the swing and the same projection to the surface can then