Accession No
3747
Brief Description
mechanical wave motion demonstration apparatus or model, English, 19th Century
Origin
England
Maker
Class
physics; demonstration
Earliest Date
1802
Latest Date
1880
Inscription Date
Material
wood; metal (brass)
Dimensions
length 385mm; breadth 75mm; height 75mm
Special Collection
Provenance
Purchased from Peter Delehar, London, England, 1990.
Inscription
Description Notes
Mechanical wave demonstration apparatus, English, 19th C.
Wooden mechanical device to show the movement of a wave. Wooden body with sliding brass push-pull handle which moves a line of vertical metal rods that appear to move as a wave through the body of the device.
Condition good; complete.
References
Events
Description
The nature of light has puzzled people for centuries. Some physicists thought that light travelled like a wave, while others thought that it travelled as a stream of particles shooting through space. Wave machines like this one became a popular way of visualising and explaining how light travelled and were used as teaching models. To demonstrate the effect of wave motion, the demonstrator slid the handle in or out of the apparatus. This engaged a line of vertical metal rods that appeared to move as a wave.
17/03/2014
Created by: Allison Ksiazkiewicz on 17/03/2014
FM:39933
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