Accession No
2397
Brief Description
mirror of mirror shell position finder, designed by A. V. Hill and Horace Darwin, English, 1916 (c)
Origin
England; Cambridge [based on attributed maker]
Maker
Cambridge Scientific Instrument Company [attributed] Hill, A. V. [designer] Darwin, Horace [designer]
Class
military
Earliest Date
1916
Latest Date
1916
Inscription Date
Material
wood; glass; metal (brass, silvering, steel)
Dimensions
length 927mm; height 926mm; depth 27mm
Special Collection
Provenance
Donated by E. Barlow, 11/1978. The mirror shell position finder was designed by A.V. Hill and Horace Darwin in 1916. E. Barlow reported that he was given the mirror by Hill. (from accession register)
Inscription
Description Notes
Mirror of mirror shell position finder, designed by A. V. Hill and Horace Darwin, English, 1916 (c).
Wooden framed mirror. Mirror ruled with grid, which is numbered 0 - 6 by 1 along each side. Each section divided into 10 parts (so a total of 3600 squares).
Condition fair (some chips to the frame); complete.
References
Events
Description
This mirror is part of an instrument used to determine the 3D coordinates of flying objects. It was developed by physiologist A. V. Hill and Cambridge Scientific Instrument Company founder Horace Darwin during the First World War, in 1916, at the Munitions Inventions Department. Two identical horizontal mirrors, both engraved with a grid, were placed at a distance apart. Using peepholes from from a fixed distance above, observers marked the position of flying objects on the mirrors. The markings were then used to determine the coordinates of the flying objects. Darwin ordered the original apparatus from Cambridge Scientific Instrument Company and Hill recruited a team of mathematicians, engineers, and scientists to continue the work. Using the apparatus, they undertook operations research and determined the coordinates of shells and ballistic weapons.
18/05/2022
Created by: Morgan Bell on 18/05/2022
FM:45109
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