Scientific apparatus and instruments; Santa Clara University (Calif.)
The Kinnersley's Thermometer was an apparatus designed to demonstrate the heating power of an electric spark by showing the expansion of air when an electric spark is passed through it.
Scientific apparatus and instruments; Santa Clara University (Calif.); Optical instruments
This device was used with a prism to demonstrate the seven colors of the specturm present in a beam of sunlight: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.
Scientific apparatus and instruments; Santa Clara University (Calif.)
This device is for measuring differences in temperature and was named for British natural philosopher John Leslie. It is considerably more sensitive than a standard thermometer.
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.); Piezometer
The Oersted Piezometer was used to determine the coefficient of the compressibility of liquids. Gases would have been pumped into the chamber through the funnel at the top. The pressure of the gases would have been measured via the water barometer...
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.)
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 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.); 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...
