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A Cavendish torsion balance is a torsion balance arranged to measure gravitational torque from nearby source masses. Its suspended horizontal rod rotates about a vertical fiber. In the linear elastic regime, a twist angle $\theta$, measured from the fiber's untwisted orientation, gives a restoring torque ${\tau }_{\mathrm{fiber}}=-\kappa \theta$, where $\kappa >0$ is the torsion constant. The minus sign is essential: the fiber resists the twist. Under an approximately constant gravitational torque, the rotational equation using moment of inertia $I$ and angular acceleration $\ddot{\theta }$ isAt equilibrium, the two torques balance. The angle is a displacement from the fiber's reference orientation, not the largest excursion during an oscillation. ^[ref]

For the toy parameters in the Cavendish experiment, the predicted equilibrium twist isHere $L|{\theta }_{\mathrm{eq}}|/r\simeq 0.0107$, consistent with using a small geometric displacement in the toy model, but not an estimate of its total measurement error. Reversing the source positions ideally takes the equilibrium angle from $+{\theta }_{\mathrm{eq}}$ to $-{\theta }_{\mathrm{eq}}$: the magnitude of the change is $2|{\theta }_{\mathrm{eq}}|\simeq 0.6119^{\circ }$. A stable zero offset then cancels in the difference. A real reading may track a reflected light spot; the law of reflection doubles a mirror's rotation in the outgoing beam, so the spot's angular change must not be confused with the rod's angle. ^[ref]

How can the fiber's torsion constant be found without already knowing the gravitational force? Measure the oscillation period and calculate the moment of inertia. For the same toy rod, neglecting its mass and treating both test masses as point masses, $I=m{L}^2+m{L}^2=2m{L}^2$. With the source torque absent or treated as constant, let $\varphi =\theta -{\theta }_{\mathrm{eq}}$ be a small departure from equilibrium. Neglect damping and any change of gravitational torque with angle. The rotational equation becomes simple harmonic motion:Here $A$ is the angular amplitude, $\delta$ specifies the initial phase, and $\omega$ is the angular frequency. A softer fiber gives a larger equilibrium twist but also a longer oscillation period: greater sensitivity costs observation time. An undamped oscillation does not settle at equilibrium; damping is needed for settling. ^[ref]

The toy moment of inertia and undamped oscillation period areTiming this oscillation period would recover the assumed torsion constant. The units check explains the result: torque divided by torsion constant is an angle in radians, and $I/\kappa$ has units of time squared when radians are treated as dimensionless in SI.

Combining the equilibrium twist with the period calibration, the two-near-pair model would infer the gravitational constant asThe test mass cancels in the second expression because it enters both the gravitational torque and the toy moment of inertia. If the measured quantity is the magnitude $|\Delta \theta |$ of the change between opposite source positions, use $|{\theta }_{\mathrm{eq}}|=|\Delta \theta |/2$. Substituting the toy twist and oscillation period returns the input $G$; it is a consistency check, not independent experimental evidence.

The sensitivity of a Cavendish torsion balance also explains its practical difficulty. Air motion can exert unwanted torque; unequal temperatures can drive that motion. Cavendish discusses this effect on p. 471 and describes observing from outside a closed room to avoid disturbing the instrument. ^[ref] Mechanical vibrations can excite the same slow oscillations used to calibrate the torsion constant, while changes in the fiber or source separations alter the inferred force. Precision therefore depends on resolving the equilibrium angle, calibrating the full suspended moment of inertia and torsion constant, and modeling the actual source geometry. The two-near-pair model omits opposite-source attraction, rod contributions, finite-size effects, damping, and the variation of gravitational torque as the rod turns. ^[ref]

A torsion balance measures a weak torque by suspending a body from a thin fiber and reading its twist angle. The fiber supports the body's gravitational weight while permitting rotation about the suspension axis. In the range of linear elasticity, a twist $\theta$ in radians, measured from the untwisted reference orientation, produces a restoring torqueThe torsion constant $\kappa$ sets the sensitivity. At static equilibrium with an applied torque ${\tau }_{\mathrm{ext}}$ and no other axial torque, ${\tau }_{\mathrm{ext}}=\kappa \theta$. A perpendicular force $F$ at lever arm $a$ therefore gives $\theta =aF/\kappa$. The torsion balance measures a turning effect: a force whose line of action passes through the suspension axis gives no axial torque. The Cavendish torsion balance is the gravitational application; Coulomb's law supplies an electrical one. ^[ref]

The original schematic separates two ways of reading the same torque. In deflection operation the top attachment stays fixed and the body rotates. In null operation the experimenter rotates the top attachment by $\alpha$ while returning the body's laboratory angle $\beta$ to its original value. If the initially untwisted configuration has $\alpha =\beta =0$, the fiber twist is $\theta =\beta -\alpha$, not $\beta$ alone. ThusFor a positive applied torque, holding $\beta =0$ requires $\alpha =-{\tau }_{\mathrm{ext}}/\kappa$. Keeping the body at the same angle keeps the lever arm and source geometry fixed, making comparison of different applied forces easier. Either readout still requires a calibrated torsion constant and a stable reference orientation.

An illustrative calculation shows the amplification: with $a=0.050\mathrm{m}$, $F=2.0\times 10^{-9}\mathrm{N}$, and $\kappa =1.0\times 10^{-8}\mathrm{N}m/rad$, the applied torque is $1.0\times 10^{-10}\mathrm{N}\mathrm{m}$ and the equilibrium twist is $0.010\mathrm{rad}\simeq 0.573^{\circ }$. These are stipulated values, not measured data. Reducing the torsion constant tenfold increases this twist tenfold, provided the fiber remains in its calibrated linear elasticity range. The cost is a slower response, explained by the oscillation period in torsion constant.

A concrete laboratory experiment is PASCO's Coulomb balance: level its counterbalanced rod, discharge both conducting spheres, and set the unloaded zero. Charge the spheres at maximum separation; switch off the charging supply. Move the second sphere to a known center separation $R$, then turn the suspension dial until the rod returns to its index mark. Record the dial change and $R$, recharge, and repeat at several separations. The manual recommends a draft-free room, clean insulating supports, and recharging before each reading: leakage, especially in humid conditions, otherwise changes the electric charges during the sequence. At close separations the conducting spheres redistribute charge, so the point charge approximation needs correction. ^[ref]

For constant electric charges and a fixed perpendicular lever arm, the Coulomb's law prediction is $|\theta |\propto R^{-2}$. Plotting the logarithm of twist magnitude against the logarithm of separation gives $\log |\theta |=\text{constant}-2\log R$, so the predicted slope is $-2$. Absolute force measurement additionally needs the torsion constant; comparing ratios can eliminate it if it remains stable. Repeating a reference separation between other settings distinguishes a separation effect from a changing signal. A declining reading at the reference separation would invalidate the assumption of unchanged electric charges, even if a distance plot looks smooth.

The historical electrical example is Coulomb's first memoir of 1785. His apparatus enclosed a suspended needle with a small ball and a second ball; an adjustable head twisted the suspension. After charging the balls by contact, he reported angular separations $36^{\circ }$, $18^{\circ }$, and $8.5^{\circ }$ with head settings $0^{\circ }$, $126^{\circ }$, and $567^{\circ }$. The total twists were approximately $36^{\circ }$, $144^{\circ }$, and $576^{\circ }$: fourfold restoring torque accompanied approximately halved separation. These are his reported observations, not data from our diagrams. ^[ref] A precise reconstruction must use center distances and the changing lever arm, rather than identify angular separation exactly with distance; Alberto A. Martínez's replication explicitly analyzes that geometry. ^[ref]

Sensitivity also exposes changes of the apparatus itself. Fleischer and colleagues' cryogenic torsion balance used a temperature-controlled enclosure to reduce vacuum-vessel top-plate temperature fluctuations to approximately $\pm 0.01\mathrm{K}$, limiting changes in suspension geometry from thermal expansion. They used a mild bake-out near $40^{\circ }\mathrm{C}$ to speed initial fiber relaxation and reduce slow zero motion. Their optical readout compared the pendulum mirror with an internal reference mirror to reject shared optical motion. Room-temperature thermal radiation entering through the optical opening heated the pendulum; a cold filter reduced that load. The authors could not directly measure the pendulum's temperature without disturbing it, and explicitly distinguished the cold shield's temperature from the body's. Cooling therefore requires checking the actual noise and thermal environment, rather than assuming that the fiber and body share the shield's temperature. ^[ref]

A useful control strategy is to record unloaded readings and temperature before and after each signal sequence, recalibrate the torsion constant under the same conditions, and compare forward and reverse settings. The algebra of torsion balance zero drift shows precisely which offsets such comparisons can cancel. A fine angular scale alone does not establish a small measurement error.

Torsion balance zero drift is slow motion of the unloaded reference angle ${\beta }_0(t)$ during a measurement. If the torsion constant remains fixed, a constant applied torque gives ${\beta }_{\mathrm{eq}}={\beta }_0(t)+{\tau }_{\mathrm{ext}}/\kappa$. For two equal and opposite applied torques measured at the same reference zero, their equilibrium angles differ by $2{\tau }_{\mathrm{ext}}/\kappa$. A stable offset cancels; a changing zero contributes ${\beta }_0(t_{+})-{\beta }_0(t_{-})$ and does not cancel automatically.

A simple symmetric sequence makes the limitation explicit. Let $b_1,b_2,b_3$ be settled equilibrium angles for applied torques $+\tau ,-\tau ,+\tau$ at equally spaced times $t_0-h,t_0,t_0+h$. If the unloaded zero is linear in time, ${\beta }_0(t)=u+vt$, and $\kappa$ and $\tau$ remain fixed, thenThe arithmetic average of the outer zero values equals the middle zero, so both the constant offset and linear drift cancel. Curved zero motion, unequal time spacing, changing torsion constant, changing signal strength, or unsettled oscillations violate these assumptions. This is an algebraic control example, not a claim that every torsion balance follows a linear drift law.