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Re: London Science Museum
From: Alexandre Eremenko
Date: 2012 Jun 27, 03:58 -0400
From: Alexandre Eremenko
Date: 2012 Jun 27, 03:58 -0400
Strangely, they do not show their Bygrave rule in the current "Mathematical" exhibition, though they show many slide rules, including cylindrical ones. There is also a Troughton sextant looking exactly as the one that belonged to Gauss (see an old discussion beginning with "Sextant in German money"). The most impressive piece is a hudge analog differential equation solver, which is a clockwork-type mechanism with shafts and wheels, occupying a large room and served by no less than 20 people:-) Alex. > I visited that museum in 2009 and, by prior arrangement, also visited > their storage facility and was allowed to examine and handle their Bygrave > slide rule. See: > > http://fer3.com/arc/m2.aspx/Manufacture-Bygraves-LaPook-aug-2009-g9378 > > gl > > --- On Tue, 6/26/12, Alexandre Eremenkowrote: > > From: Alexandre Eremenko > Subject: [NavList] London Science Museum > To: NavList---org > Date: Tuesday, June 26, 2012, 9:20 AM > > I recently visited the Science Museum in London. > It has a Troughton dividing engine in a permanent exposition, > but currently they also have two exhibitions: > "Mathematics" and "Computers". In "Mathematics" exhibition they > have many interesting items, I mean analog computers, various > plotting devices and two other dividing engines, one of them WORKING! > (What else can you display under the title "Mathematics" in a museum:-)The > other dividing engines are another later one by Troughton, > and one by Cary (London), which was used until 1920 and still working: > in the museum display, you press a button, and an electric motor makes > the parts of the engine move.Other very impressive things are differential > analisers: pure mechanical > devices for solving differential equations. It is amazing to see a high > precision clockwork > devices of such size:-)Alex.P.S. The very first Ramsden's dividing engine > described in Bill Morris > blog is in Smithsonian Institution > in Washington DC. But I was never able to see it. Apparently it is not on > display. > ---------------------------------------------------------------- > NavList message boards and member settings: www.fer3.com/NavList > Members may optionally receive posts by email. > To cancel email delivery, send a message to NoMail[at]fer3.com > ---------------------------------------------------------------- > > > > : http://fer3.com/arc/m2.aspx?i=119778 > > >