Accession No

2033

Brief Description

‘Tisley’s harmonograph’ for creation of compound spiral curves, used at the Cavendish Laborayory, by S. C. Tisley and Company, English, 19th Century

Origin

England; London

Maker

S. C. Tisley and Company

Class

physics

Earliest Date

1874

Latest Date

1894

Inscription Date

Material

wood (2 types); metal (brass, iron, oxidized brass, and 1 other); glass; rope (string)

Dimensions

length 875mm; breadth 520mm; height 935mm; box length 804mm; height 177mm; breadth 294mm

Special Collection

Cavendish collection

Provenance

Transferred from Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, 1974. It is recorded in the Cavendish Laboratory's 1894 alphabetical catalogue of apparatus on p.87.

Inscription

Tisley’s Harmonograph
S. C. Tisley & Co. London

Description Notes

‘Tisley’s harmonograph’, by S. C. Tisley & Co., English, 19th C., from the Cavendish collection.

Trinagular wooden stand on 3 metal legs. Narrow end of triangle carries oval metal plate, supporting compound pendulum which moves in the longitudinal axis of the triangle. Centre of triangle carries brass gearing for weights. At base of triangle is the mount for the second compound pendulum. The mount can be adjusted through an angle of 50 degrees to alter the direction of swing of the pendulum; fixed scale on stand divided 0 - 50 numbered by 10 subdivided to 1. The top of the pendulum carries a large brass disc to which the paper is secured. A pen can be attached to the other pendulum and the movement of the two pendulum causes the pen to trace out a path on the paper.

Rectangular wooden box containing various further components including a set of seven glass discs with charcoal coating (remnants of harmonograph patterns on some slides), two weights, apparatus with pen and other items.

References

Events