Image: Cavendish experiment schematic
Description: Diagram viewed from above of the torsion pendulum used in the 1798 Cavendish experiment, the first accurate measurement of the force of gravity, by Henry Cavendish. The pendulum consists of two small lead weights (h, h) hanging from a 6 foot horizontal wooden beam supported in the center by a fine torsion thread. The beam is protected from air currents inside a wooden box (A, A, A, A). The two large weights (W, W) attached to a separate suspension attract the small weights, causing the beam to rotate slightly. The rotation is read off of vernier scales (S) at either end of the rod. The large weights can be rotated to the other side of the torsion beam (w, w), causing the beam to rotate in the opposite direction.
Title: Cavendish experiment schematic
Credit: Retrieved from Cavendish, Henry, 'Experiments to determine the density of the earth', Phil. Trans. of the Royal Society, 1798, reprinted in MacKenzie, A. Stanley, Ed. (1900) 'The Laws of Gravitation: Memoirs by Newton, Bouguer, and Cavendish', American Book Company, p.63, fig.2
Author: Henry Cavendish
Usage Terms: Public domain
License: Public domain
Attribution Required?: No
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