Accession No

1349

Brief Description

Haldat’s apparatus, purchased by James Clerk Maxwell and used at the Cavendish Laboratory, by Griffin and Sons, English, 1876

Origin

England; London; Garrick Street

Maker

Griffin and Sons

Class

physics

Earliest Date

1876

Latest Date

1876

Inscription Date

Material

wood (mahogany); metal (brass, iron); glass; plastic (ivorine)

Dimensions

length 450mm; breadth 187mm; height 450mm

Special Collection

Cavendish collection

Provenance

Transferred from the Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge. It is recorded in the Cavendish Laboratory's 1894 alphabetical catalogue of apparatus on p.89. Purchased by James Clerk Maxwell from Griffin and Sons.

Inscription

‘GRIFFIN & SONS
GARRICK ST.
&
LONG ACRE
LONDON’ (ivorine plaque on base)

Description Notes

Haldat’s apparatus for showing that the pressure of a liquid on the bottom of a vessel depends only on the area of the base of the vessel and the height of the column of liquid which it supports.
Rectangular mahogany base on four turned feet. Cast iron pipe set on base with side arm for connecting to vacuum pump and cup holder into which the vessel under observation is screwed. Brass column next to the cup holder which carries brass bar with U-bend, ending in sharp point, which touches the surface of the liquid. Three glass vessels with brass fittings for screwing into cup holder. One flaring, one straight with same base area as previous one and one narrow one flaring to base the same size as the others.

Described in the Cavendish Laboratory's 1894 alphabetical catalogue of apparatus as "Hydrostatics Lecture apparatus to shew [sic] that level of water is independent of area."

Condition good (some tarnishing to brass); complete.

References

Events