Accession No

4950

Brief Description

polarimeter, by Bellingham and Stanley Ltd., English, late 20th century

Origin

England; London

Maker

Bellingham and Stanley Ltd.

Class

optical

Earliest Date

1950

Latest Date

1990

Inscription Date

Material

metal (steel, brass, white metal, other); plastic (synthetic rubber, other)

Dimensions

height 345mm; length 570mm

Special Collection

Provenance

Donated on 30 July 1997.

Inscription

on plaque
"BELLINGHAM & STANLEY LTD"
"LONDON"
"NO 565527"
"MADE IN ENGLAND"

Description Notes

Polarimeter essentially consists of a pair of polarising prisms arranged in one line, one of which can be rotated with respect to the other and the rotation measured upon a divided circle. When the light is “crossed” , their polarising planes mutually perpendicular no light is transmitted, light may be partially or wholly restored by the introduction between the prisms of a tube containing optically active liquid such as a sugar solution. Can be used to investigate various liquids, a suggestion in Bellingham & Stanley manual is for doctors to determine the sugar and albumin in diabetic urine.

Polarimeter is metal lacquered in black. Triangular base with three synthetic rubber feet. The base extends in curved shape (moulded metal) to the polariser. This is a barrel type shape. The head has two eyepieces, the top is for reading the scale, the bottom for viewing the effect of the polarimeter. Below the eyepieces is the plaque with makers details, the inscription as above. At the side of the head is a screw head with scale that graduates in .2 on both sides from 0 to 1.0, but one scale is twice the length of the other. Attached to the head of the polarimeter above the screw head is a small mirror, circular on a prong for reading the scale whilst only polarised light is available.

References

Events