Accession No
6060
Brief Description
engraved brass Goldmann-type sector by C. C. Schindler; 1700
Origin
[Halle]; Germany
Maker
Schindler, C C
Class
calculating; mathematics
Earliest Date
1700
Latest Date
1700
Inscription Date
1700
Material
brass
Dimensions
length closed 175mm; breadth 48mm; thickness 6mm
Special Collection
Provenance
Purchased from Peter Delehar, 146 Portobello Road, London, W11 2DZ, on or before 16/02/2006.
Inscription
‘C. C. SCHINDLER. MECH. HALL 1700’ (obverse)
Description Notes
engraved brass Goldmann-type sector by C. C. Schindler; 1700
Obverse carries: maker's signature, date; ‘Diam IPF’; double scales ‘lin tetragoinca’ divided 3-20 by 1, numbered 3, 4...10,15,20, circled division beteween 6 and 7; double scales ‘lin harmonica’ marked ‘C, CS, D, DS, E, F, FS, G, GS, A, B, B[different letter form], C, CS, D, DS, E, F, FS, G’; double scales ‘lin trigonometrica’ divided 90-0 by 1, numbered by 10; scale ‘lin horologica’ divided by 1/4, numbered marked ‘VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, [X], I, II, III, IV, V’; double scales ‘lin elev polaris’ divided by 2, numbered 60, 50, 40, 30; ‘; double scales ‘lin geometrica’ divided by 1, numbered, 100, 90...10, 5; double scales ‘lin circvl divis’ divided 3-12 by 1.
Reverse carries: scale ‘lin tangentivm’ divided 0-65 by 1, numbered by 5; double scales ‘linea arithmetica’ divided 100-0 by 1, numbered by 10; double scales ‘lin rect divis circumf’ marked ‘2, 3, diam, 4, 5’ then divided by 1, until ‘10’; double scales ‘lin fortificatoria’ divided by 1, marked ‘12, 10, 9, capital, 5, 4, 12, 11, 10, 9, keel, 5, 4’; double scales ‘lin redvct plan et corpor polyg ext’ divided and marked by symbol; double scales ‘lin stereometrica’ 125-90 divided by 5, 90-40 divided by 4, 40-0 divided by 1, numbered 125,120,110...10,5; double scales ‘lin metallica’ divided and marked by symbol.
Length of outer arm carries: scale ‘pes romanvs’ divided by .1 numbered 1-10, divided by 1, numbered 1-9
Decorated hinge.
condition: good; complete
References
Events
Description
Sector
Sectors were used for calculation by navigators, surveyors, gunners and draftsmen (and, famously, by Galileo) from the about the mid 16th century to the mid 19th century. During the 16th century, they were used as general mathematical tools, but the introduction of logarithms drastically expanded their application. Usually made of brass, wood or ivory, they look like a jointed rule with scales engraved on either side.
Sectors use the principle of similar triangles (that the ratio of lengths of two sides of similar triangles will always be the same) with scales of proportion for calculating mathematical functions such as finding the line of equal parts, inscribing a rectangular polygon inside a circle of a given radius and protracting angles. This made them useful for similar calculations to a slide rule.
08/10/2002
Created by: Saffron Clackson on 08/10/2002
FM:46529
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