Scientific apparatus and instruments; Santa Clara University (Calif.)
The Eolypile is a metal sphere attached to a chariot half-filled with water and nested up to allow steam to build up. The steam is then allowed to escape in a jet making the chariot move.
Scientific apparatus and instruments; Santa Clara University (Calif.)
""The hydraulic press depends on Pascal's principle: The pressure throughout a closed system is constant. At one end of the system is a small area piston driven by a lever to increase the mechanical advantage. The small-diameter tubing...
Scientific apparatus and instruments; Santa Clara University (Calif.)
This instrument allowed water to be heated to a temperature higher than boiling point at atmospheric pressure, resulting in considerably high pressure inside. Papin designed a model of a digester in 1680 that allowed a piston inside a cylinder to...
Scientific apparatus and instruments; Santa Clara University (Calif.)
A hydrometer measures the specific gravity of a liquid relative to water. Nicolson's hydrometer differs from other hydrometers in being totally submerged in use.
Scientific apparatus and instruments; Santa Clara University (Calif.)
""This unique piece of apparatus uses Lissajous figures to show that the ratio of the frequency ratios in a diatonic scale are ratios of small numbers. On the side is an air-driven vibrating reed with a small mirror attached to its free...
Scientific apparatus and instruments; Santa Clara University (Calif.)
In this demonstration apparatus, water pours into the top section of the central rotor, pivoting freely about its axis. The two pipes projecting from the bottomof the rotor are closed at the end but with a rearward-facing hole. The rotor spins as...
Scientific apparatus and instruments; Santa Clara University (Calif.)
David Brewster, creator of Brewster's Law, patented this device in 1817. It consisted of a long, hollow tube containing two glass mirrors running along the length of the tube and separated from each other at an angle of 60 degrees. Where mirrors...
Scientific apparatus and instruments; Santa Clara University (Calif.); Anamorphosis (visual perception)--Instruments
Described as one of many ""Fine Optical Toys"" in James W. Queen's Catalogue of Microscopes, Accessories and Sundries, 1890, the anamorphoscope mirror rectifies distorted drawings.
Scientific apparatus and instruments; Santa Clara University (Calif.); Camera lucida;
An artist's aid for drawing, the camera Lucida was a portable device that was used to reproduce visual images on to paper. An adjustable prism mounted on the end of a supporting arm reflects the surrounding light and produces the image onto the...
Scientific apparatus and instruments; Santa Clara University (Calif.); Electric batteries
Grenet Batteries were single-element battery sources with flasks varying in size, from 1/3 liter to 3 liters. These batteries, when filled with an acid solution and placed in series, were a common source of electrical current prior to the...
Scientific apparatus and instruments; Santa Clara University (Calif.); Electric discharges;
When connected to a power source, a bright electric spark would flash between the two ends of the two outer posts. The middle glass post is made of photo gray glass (yellow tinted glass), which would have glowed. This instrument is visible in early...
Scientific apparatus and instruments; Santa Clara University (Calif.); Electric discharges; X-ray tubes;
This instrument appears to be an early type of vacuum discharge tube or x-ray tube. The glass tube contains metal electrodes that have been sealed and from which the air has been removed by a vacuum system.
Scientific apparatus and instruments; Santa Clara University (Calif.); Galvanometer
A galvanometer is an instrument used to measure the presence, direction, and strength of small electric currents in a conductor. A magnetic needle is deflected by the presence of an electric current in a nearby conductor. The needle turns at right...
