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Description: | The collection includes material that has been in use in the University of Aberdeen, primarily for the purpose of teaching and research and was brought together by a distinguished line of past Professors of Natural Philosophy. Included amongst these are Patrick Copland, William Knight, James Clerk Maxwell, David Thomson, Charles Niven and Nobel Prize winning GP Thomson. The earliest material dates from the mid 18th century and the most recent material from the 21st century. As a result of its continuity the collection provides an important material record which Aberdeen University Senior Lecturer Dr B Marsden describes as "charting the change in practical and popular scientific culture". Electrostatics usually formed the introduction to electrical phenomena from the 18th century to the mid 20th century. Our collection holds demonstration equipment from across that span, from items such as Copland's 'head of despair', conductors and tables of the 18th century through Leiden jars and sparks gaps used in early radio to electroscopes, the electrophorous and other former standards of electrostatic demonstration. Also among the electrostatics devices are Van-de-Graaff generators and an impressive 8-plate Benotti Machine. The Natural Philosophy collection is supported by an informative and detailed webpage which includes links to articles related to the collection, information pages for selected items and documentation for an exhibition 'Precisely' which featured the connections between the museum collection of Natural Philosophy and documentation held in the University's Special Libraries and Archives. Access to the collection is restricted and all enquires should be sent to Dr J Reid, the honorary curator. Information compiled in consultation with the Honorary Curator.
Super collection: Natural Philosophy Collection.
Objects: standard capacitor; Head of Despair electrostatics demonstration; discharging tongs; Zamboni pile; Henry's discharger; Leyden jar; Wimshurst machine; electrostatic vessel; insulating handle; multicellular voltmeter; amber rods; discharging rods; electroscope; glass vessel (leyden jar); base for demonstration of charge dissipation; fur fleece; copper cone; electrostatic discs; glass rod; spark gap; Thomson's electrostatic replenisher; parallel plates; rod with metal ball attached; resistance box; Ampere's swinging coil demonstration; Insulating stand; Cat Skin; Spiral spark tube; Van der Graaf high voltage generator; Discharging table; Conical electrostatic conductors; Hemispherical electrostatic metal cups; Circular electrostatic plates; Demonstration of electrostatic pick up; Van der Graaf Generator; Electrostatic cylinder; Electrostatic demonstration accessory; Coulomb torsion balance; Faraday's Variable-Dielectric Capacitor; Coulomb torsion balance; induction coil; electrostatic conductors; voltmeter; Thomson's Quadrant electrometer. | Subjects: | History of Science. | Temporal: | 1780-2000 | Source: | University of Aberdeen | Address: | King's College,
AB24 3FX | Identifier: | ABDNP:CLD17 | Relation: | ABDUA:CLD00 | Go to resource |
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