How Does Earth's Rotation Affect Plumb Bob Deflection?

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Earth's rotation causes a plumb bob to deviate slightly from the direction of gravitational force, leading to a measurable deflection. The deflection angle, θ, can be calculated using the formula θ = (2π²R/gT²)sin(2L), where R is Earth's radius, g is gravitational acceleration, T is the rotation period, and L is the latitude. The discussion highlights the complexity of deriving this formula, particularly in separating forces into components. Participants emphasize the importance of understanding the tension in the wire and the relationship between gravitational and centripetal forces. This exploration underscores the intricate dynamics of physics related to Earth's rotation and gravitational effects.
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Due to Earth's rotation, a plumb bob may not hang exactly along the direction of the Earth's gravitational force on the plumb bob but may deviate slightly from that direction. (a) show that the deflection \thetais given by \theta = (\frac{2\pi^2R}{gT^2})sin(2L), where R is the radius of the Earth and T is the period of the Earth's rotation.

This problem is very hard. I try to get a = \frac{2\pi(RcosL)^2}{T^2RcosL} and then must get F so I try to separate the thingie into components byut then Fx and Fy get into a mess and I'm confused. Help!

Thanks
 
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I am not sure what you tried but you need to find the direction of the tension in the wire supporting the bob which you can determine from the local direction of the gravitaional force (directed toward the center of the Earth) and the centripetal force (directed toward Earth's the axis of rotation). I presume your L is the latitude \lambda.
 
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