Accession No
2719
Brief Description
planimeter, by G. Coradi, Swiss, 1904 (c)
Origin
Switzerland; Zürich
Maker
Coradi, G.
Class
calculating; drawing
Earliest Date
1904
Latest Date
1904
Inscription Date
Material
metal (steel); ivory
Dimensions
length 270mm; breadth 162mm; height 63mm
Special Collection
Provenance
Transferred from Engineering Department, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England, 02/1981.
Inscription
‘G. CORADI, ZÜRICH
No 1171’
Description Notes
Steel beam; graduated 10 - 48, to 0.1. Vernier plate; clamp and slow motion screw. Compass point on end with thumb plate and knurled screw. Pivoted to axis; two steel wheels with roughened treads, one with cogged surface for driving spindle to roller and circular ivory scale graduated 0 - 50 by 5 to 1 and micrometer scale 0 - 10 by 1 to 0.1 with vernier. Knurled screw adjusts convex spindle head on roller. Knurled clamp.
Condition
References
Events
Description
Planimeters are mechanical instruments designed to solve the common problem of computing the area of an irregular closed shape. The first instrument designed to do this was made by J.M. Hermann, a Bavarian engineer in 1814. Tito Gonella of Florence independently invented a similar instrument in 1824 using a wheel and cone arrangement.
FM:44641
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