Thompson's Astatic GalvanometerLABORATORY EQUIPMENT
Thompson's Astatic Galvanometer
MAKER Elliott Bros.
WHEN late 19th century
WHAT DOES IT DO? Detects small electric currents.
HOW DOES IT WORK? Electricity passing through a wire coil creates a magnetic field which twists a suspended magnet and mirror. A light beam reflects off the mirror and onto a scale.
Source: National Research Council of Canada, Electrical Engineering (originally used by Energy, Mines and Resources)
Reaction Apparatus
MAKER Dr. Ken Cashion and Dr. John Polanyi
WHEN 1960
WHAT DOES IT DO? In 1986, John Polanyi won the Nobel prize in chemistry. Some 25 years earlier, he and Dr. Cashion had built special instruments to study the dynamics of chemical reactions. As atoms collide inside the glass cell they give off light detected by a spectrometer. This light changes as a reaction continues. Analyzing the light patterns lets us see exactly how atoms combine. Polanyi's research was done at Ottawa's National Research Council and the University of Toronto. It eventually led to the development of the chemical laser.
Source: Dr. John Polanyi, University of Toronto
Saccharimeter
MAKER Ph. and F. Pellin
WHEN ca 1880
WHAT DOES IT DO? Measures the concentration of sugar.
HOW DOES IT WORK? Light is passed through a solution. The concentration of sugar is determined by the degree light is rotated when passing through the sample.
Source: Montreal University, Department of Physics
Optical Microscope and Electron Microscope
Optical Microscope
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MAKER
Optical Microscope: Topley Co.
Electron Microscope: RCA
WHEN
Optical Microscope: ca 1890-1900
Electron Microscope: ca 1965
Desktop Electron Microscope
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Desktop Electron Microscope
WHAT DOES IT DO? Invented in 1591, the optical microscope uses light and lenses to magnify objects. By 1870 scientists realized that the nature of light would limit magnification to only 2000 times. In 1932, the first electron microscope was invented. It replaced light with streams of electrons and used magnets instead of lenses. Albert Prebus and James Hillier built Canada's first electron microscope at the University of Toronto in 1939. Today, electron microscopes can magnify an object by over 500 million times.
Current Balance
MAKER Kelvin, Bottemley and Baird
WHEN ca 1907
WHAT DOES IT DO? The current balance, invented by Lord Kelvin in 1882, was the first instrument to measure electric currents precisely. Instead of having pans, this balance has wire coils. Four are fixed, two are movable. Currents passing through all the coils creates a magnetic field which repels the movable coils. They are rebalanced by moving the sliding weight and adding precise masses. The electric balances we find in grocery stores today use a similar principle.
Source: National Research Council of Canada
Drysdale's Potentiometer
MAKER H. Tinsley and Co.
WHEN 1898 to 1905
WHAT DOES IT DO? Measures AC or DC voltages and currents.
HOW DOES IT WORK? A test circuit is connected to an internal battery. Resistances are selected until a moving galvanometer indicates a balance.
Source: Department of Consumer and Corporate Affairs
Radiation Monitor
MAKER Nuclear Instruments Ltd., Winnipeg
WHEN ca 1965
WHAT DOES IT DO? Measures Beta and Gamma particle emissions from radioactive materials.
HOW DOES IT WORK? It contains a tube filled with gas under high voltage. Radioactive particles short-circuit the gas creating a pulse of electricity.
Source: National Research Council of Canada, Physics
Hydrometer Set
MAKER August Eichhorn
WHEN late 19th century
WHAT DOES IT DO? Measures specific gravity.
HOW DOES IT WORK? The hydrometer floats in the liquid. The level where the surface of the liquid touches the scale indicates the specific gravity.
Joly Hydrostatic Balance
MAKER Fisher Scientific
WHEN ca 1960
WHAT DOES IT DO? Precisely measures the density of an object.
HOW DOES IT WORK? Small objects are placed on the pan which is suspended in water. The volume of water displaced is used to calculate density.
Source: Gloucester High School
Blowpipe Set
MAKER J.T. Letcher
WHEN ca 1875
WHAT DOES IT DO? Used for chemical analysis.
HOW DOES IT WORK? Samples are heated over the blowpipe until they break down. They are then studied by adding various chemicals.
Source: National Research Council of Canada, Archives
Laboratory Balance
MAKER Sartorius-Werke
WHEN 1932
WHAT DOES IT DO? Used for precision weighing of chemicals.
HOW DOES IT WORK? The chemical is placed on one pan. Weights are added to the other pan until the two pans balance.
Source: National Research Council of Canada, Biological Sciences
For more information on our scientific instruments, contact the Curator, Physical Sciences and Space, R.C. Brooks.
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