The Foucault Method
Using the equation, the speed of light was found to be around 3.322*108 meters per second. The literature value for the speed of light was 2.99*108 meters per second. The percent difference was 10%. There was some error in the derivation of the equation which may have accounted for part of the discrepancy. Overall, the experiment was interesting because it made a concept that seemed vague more clear by making it measurable. It was also interesting because the materials used were much more technologically advanced than those used by the first measurers of the speed of light, but the calculations were no more accurate. It is interesting to consider what the scientists who first measured the speed of light would have been capable of doing had they had access to the same technologically advanced materials.