Foucault's Pendulum This idea basically says that if you have a pendulum swinging back and forth on the same plane, its path will gradually rotate over the course of time. According to Foucault, the back and forth movements of the pendulum will constantly turn beyond the point of making a full rotation. But because of many factors, including the friction of the air, it is extremely difficult to actually experiment with a real pendulum- it eventually loses momentum and the swinging comes to an end. This principle was applied to the movement of the Earth and it helped prove that our planet is indeed turning.
Mercury
Mercury is the closest planet to the sun and the smallest planet in our solar system. The ratio of days to years on Mercury is very different from the ratio on Earth. On Mercury, it takes 88 Earth days to revolve around the sun, but with regards to its much slower rotation speed, 3 days on Mercury is equal to 2 orbits (or years) around the sun. One of the most interesting things about the planet is its rebellion towards Plutonian Physics. Because of its relation with the sun's gravity, Plutonian Law is not as applicable. It ultimately became one of the first forms of evidence that validated Einstein's Theory of Relativity.
Drinking Bird The drinking bird is a pivoting mechanism (shaped like a bird) that dips its head in a glass of water, "sucks" some of the water out, continues to pivot, and repeats the cycle over and over again. Apparently, this mechanism has baffled many physicists for years, including Albert Einstein- who never did find an explanation as to how the mechanism works. Today, the nature of this bird can finally be explained. The key to the mechanism is temperature difference- the head of the bird is dipped in water (giving an "evaporative coating") before it is put into motion. There is a chemical inside the bird's gut (below the pivot) called