Accession No
2748
Brief Description
gyroscope, 1800-1900 (c)
Origin
Maker
Class
physics; demonstration
Earliest Date
1800
Latest Date
1900
Inscription Date
Material
metal (brass, steel); wood (mahogany); cloth (velvet)
Dimensions
box length 233mm; breadth 130mm; height 87mm
Special Collection
Provenance
Purchased from Historical Technology Inc., Catalogue 121, Winter 1980, no.196, 1980. Purchased with grant from Preservation Fund, Science Museum.
Inscription
Description Notes
Gyroscope. Turned brass base, screw-in turned steel stand with octagonal spike. Flywheel mount with jewelled bearing; brass ring, steel pivots with screw adjustment, steel axis with stud for starting string. Blue velvet-lined fitted mahogany box.
References
Events
Description
Jean Bernard Léon Foucault (famous for inventing ‘Foucault’s pendulum’ to demonstrate the rotation of the earth) invented the gyroscope in 1852. The name gyroscope literally means “to view the turning”, and exploits the physical principle that a spinning mass maintains a constant direction. The device typically consists of a disk (rotor) with an axle through the centre, mounted in a gimballed frame to allow movement in all directions. It can be used to demonstrate the Earth’s rotation or for measuring and maintaining orientation. The Americans and the Soviets used it in this way at the height of the Cold War, for the guidance systems in their submarines, missiles and aircraft.
Some believe that Foucault took the inspiration for the gyroscope from Captain John Serson’s ‘whirling speculum’ invention, which was created in the early 1740s. This device is thought to be the first that used the principle that a spinning mass maintains a constant direction.
21/05/2009
Created by: Nathalie Botcherby [work experience student] on 21/05/2009
FM:44356
Images (Click to view full size):
