September 6, a bust of the world-famous French physicist and astronomer Jean Bernard Leon Foucault (1819 - 1868) was inaugurated in Scientific and Technical Library NTUU "KPI" of G.I.Denisenko. Foucault developed a method for measuring the speed of light using a rotating prism (Foucault method), discovered the phenomenon of heating metal by induction currents (eddy currents), improved gyro and proposed to use it to keep track of changes in direction, made a number of discoveries and inventions. But perhaps most of all he is known for an instrument that demonstrates the daily rotation of the Earth - the Foucault pendulum. In February this year, the Foucault pendulum - now only one in Ukraine - was opened in our library. By the way, in 2011, 160 years since the launch of the first of such a pendulum most Foucault Paris Pantheon was celebrated.
At the celebration in the lobby of the library there were a lot of students. Among the honored guests – V.G.Baríyakhtar, Hero of Ukraine, academician of NAS of Ukraine; V.M. Loktev - Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Head of the Department of General and Theoretical Physics FPM, the initiator of the installation of the pendulum at the university; M.Yu.Ilchenko - Vice-Rector NTUU "KPI", corresponding member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine; V.F.Aseev - Director of Enterprise "UCHPRIBOR" (Rivne city), which made the suspension and equipment of the pendulum; A.F.Valiev - author of the bust Foucault, Honored Artist of Ukraine; V.Y.Kotovsky – head of the laboratory "Didactics" FPM, the developer of the project of "our" Foucault pendulum.
Introduction speech was made by Rector NTUU "KPI", academician of NAS M.Z.Zgurovsky. Academics V.G. Baríyakhtar and V.M. Loktev in their speeches highlighted the scientific achievements Foucault and stressed that the Foucault pendulum, set in our library, can be a wonderful scientific and laboratory instrument for students KPI.
Finally, representative of the National Registry of Records of Ukraine Vitaliy Zorin solemnly handed the rector NTUU "KPI" academician Michael Zgurovsky diploma for recognition of opened in February this year at the University of Foucault's pendulum as the only in Ukraine and the second by the number of parameters in the world. Recall that the length of the pendulum suspension is 22 meters 6 centimeters, the diameter of bronze ball is 28 cm, its weight is 43 kg.
Sergey Smolts