Dr. Frank Robey
Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/15
Limited to 20 participants
Attendance: Participants must attend all sessions
Prereq: None, SEE IMPORTANT MESSAGE BELOW
The Foucault pendulum was demonstrated in 1861 as the first simple proof of the earth's rotation. While at the heart this is a weight on a string, the mechanical design has evolved such that table-top demonstrations are now possible. However, the electrical design that makes up for the friction of the air to keep the pendulum moving and the sensors to observe the motion are generally not modern. For most museum pendulum a small electromagnet near the upper pivot provides energy input and they knock over small pegs to track the motion. In this class, we will build a small Foucault pendulum driven from below by an electromagnet and in the tradition of MIT will instrument the pendulum to publish the motion in real time.
The class will be organized with 4-5 person teams that will meet in the MIT Beaverworks. Teams will be organized around 1) radar sensing, 2) optical sensing, 3) integration and control, and 4) other sensing. Teams are encouraged to propose their own approach to measuring the motion. Teams using optical sensing will be provided access to a pre-release Microsoft Kinect 2 for Windows, and those doing radar sensing will be provided with a stereo K-band radar kit of parts.
*This work is sponsored by the Department of the Air Force under Air Force Contract #FA8721-05-C-0002. Opinions, interpretations, conclusions and recommendations are those of the authors and are not necessarily endorsed by the United States Government.
Sponsor(s): Lincoln Laboratory, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Contact: Dr. Frank Robey, LIN-LI-258D, (781) 981-7865, pendulum.course@ll.mit.edu
| Jan/21 | Tue | 09:00AM-12:00PM | 300 Tech. Sq. 2nd FL, Lecture 9-12/Open Lab 1-5 |
| Jan/22 | Wed | 09:00AM-12:00PM | 300 Tech. Sq. 2nd FL, Lecture 9-12/Open Lab 1-5 |
| Jan/23 | Thu | 01:00PM-05:00PM | 300 Tech. Sq. 2nd FL, Open Lab |
| Jan/24 | Fri | 01:00PM-05:00PM | 300 Tech. Sq. 2nd FL, Open Lab |
| Jan/27 | Mon | 01:00PM-05:00PM | 300 Tech. Sq. 2nd FL, Open Lab |
| Jan/28 | Tue | 01:00PM-05:00PM | 300 Tech. Sq. 2nd FL, Open Lab |
| Jan/29 | Wed | 01:00PM-05:00PM | 300 Tech. Sq. 2nd FL, Open Lab |
| Jan/30 | Thu | 01:00PM-05:00PM | 300 Tech. Sq. 2nd FL, Open Lab |
| Jan/31 | Fri | 01:00PM-05:00PM | 300 Tech. Sq. 2nd FL, Open Lab |
IMPORTANT:
All sessions will be held at Beaver Works @ 300 Technology Square, 2nd Floor.
Prerequisites: None, but participation in Build a Small Radar System course would be useful.