2025/03/21 by Morgan Facchin · 1 voice
Computer Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Computational Physics and Python Applications #Experimental and Theoretical Physics Studies #Quantum chaos and dynamical systems
paper · doi:10.1119/5.0237736
openalex publication_date 2025/03/21 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
It is found that the exact equations governing the motion of the Foucault pendulum take a simpler form when describing the pendulum's position as a complex number evolving in the complex plane. In this description, three notable effects (the intrinsic precession, the Foucault precession, and the Crane effect) appear as natural solutions without prior assumptions on their precessional nature. The pedagogical value of the problem is discussed, emphasizing its connections to time-reversal symmetry and the use of complex numbers in two-dimensional problems.