Collection Timeline

1846 to Unknown

1846
This piece of equipment dates from at least 1846. It was brought when the college moved from Davenport to Grinnell in that year. This is an induction coil with a core made of iron wires--perhaps knitting needles. The primary circuit included the base which looks like part of rasp and an iron bar on the end of a wire. When the iron bar was dragged over the toothed base, the primary circuit was broken and remade many times quite rapidly. The rapid start and stop of the primary circuit induced a current in the secondary winding.

1880
This instrument almost certainly was on the Grinnell College campus before the tornado of 1882 which destroyed most of the college's scientific equipment. Its manufacturer is unknown. The Bohnenberger electroscope has a dry pile which produces a constant potential difference of the order of 1000 volts. Charge is placed on the electrode extending up from the top, whence it flows to a single sheet of gold leaf hanging between two plates attached to the dry pile. The charge on the gold leaf, hanging in the electrical field produced by the plates attached to a battery, caused deflection of the gold leaf. Because the polarity of the pile was known, the sign of the charge on the electrode and some indication of its magnitude could be seen.
This lamp was used by Prof George L. Pierce while studying at Oberlin and given to the museum by Wayne and Clara Denny. Grinnell students used oil or gas lamps until the mid 1890’s.

1885
In 1654, Otto von Guericke, burgomaster of Magdeburg, performed an experiment using two brass hemispheres which fit together closely to make a sphere and which could be evacuated with a vacuum pump, which von Guericke had invented in 1650. Von Guericke used hemispheres about fourteen inches in diameter, and when as much air as possible had been pumped from them, two teams of horses could not pull the hemispheres apart. The hemispheres shown here were purchased for $6.00 in 1885. __________________________________________ Mayor Otto von Guericke of Magdeburg (1602-1686 AD) clearly had a flair for the dramatic. His scientific demonstrations involved props such as guillotines and strongmen. But his most famous public experiment at Regensburg sometime around 1654 (the exact date is uncertain) included what came to be known as the Magdeburg hemispheres. Made of copper or brass, the hemispheres can be joined to form a hollow globe. Using an air pump (which von Guericke also invented), he removed the air from the sphere and showed how 16 horses – 2 teams of 8 each – could not pull the halves apart. The sphere immediately fell apart once air was reintroduced. From this experiment, he showed that the air pressure surrounding the hemispheres, without the counteraction of the pressure normally existing inside the sphere when it was filled with air, made them cling together. Scientists were just beginning to realize that we live under an ocean of air, with the mass of the atmosphere corresponding to a pressure of about 1 kg per cm2. The discovery of the sheer force of the pressure of the atmosphere led to the development of the first steam engines in the 1700s. Although the 1600s were a tumultuous time in Magdeburg’s history, von Guericke still found time to contemplate various questions about the nature of space. Aristotle (384-322 BC) proposed that “nature abhors a vacuum,” currently defined as any volume with a lower particle density and gas pressure than the surrounding atmosphere. This postulate would be believed for almost 2000 years. Evangelista Torricelli (1608-1647 AD), one of von Guericke’s contemporaries, demonstrated in 1643 that a vacuum could exist in space above an enclosed column of mercury. However, from astronomical observation of the constancy of the time it took for planets to revolve, von Guericke concluded that space is also a vacuum without friction. He also conducted experiments on the elasticity of air, as well as the relation of air pressure and altitude. Combined with Blaise Pascal’s discovery of the link between atmospheric pressure and weather, von Guericke proposed meteorological stations to gather data to forecast the weather. Other discoveries he is credited with include the magnetization of iron, the invention of a static electricity generator, and the observation of colored shadows. -Mira Lamb 2018 References “Guericke, Otto Von,” accessed April 14, 2017. https://www.accessscience.com:443/content/ guericke-otto-von/m0091124. Marquardt, Niels. “Introduction to the principles of vacuum phsyics,” last modified November 22, 2016. https://cds.cern.ch/record/582156.
This vacuum pump (hand operated by a handle now missing) was made by Jas. W. Queen & Co. and purchased in 1885 for $25. _________________________________________ In 1654, Otto von Guericke was credited for inventing the first Vacuum pump. It was not until 1660 that Robert Boyle published his New Experiments in which he describes his theory of air pressure (Brush, 13). His theory would then become known as Boyle’s Law in which the volume and absolute pressure of a contained gas are inversely proportional. Until the 17th century, air was an invisible substance that could not be studied or explained. With the invention of the Vacuum pump, the principles of air could not only be studied, but they could be demonstrated in such a way that was ultimately undeniable (Brundtland, 265). This type of demonstration not only depicted scientific discovery, but also commanded a certain amount of excitement. Well into the late 1700’s and early 1800’s, experiments continued in the realms of sound, electricity, and mechanics (Brundtland, 267). Grinnell College bought a vacuum pump in 1885 for 25$ from a fairly well known manufacturer of scientific instruments known as Queen & co. This pump is a single barrel pump with a standard sealable bell jar. Air can be evacuated from the jar by pumping the handle (now missing) up and down. -Jordan Hamilton 2019 References Brundtland, T. "Francis Hauksbee and His Air Pump." Notes and Records of the Royal Society 66.3 (2012): 253-72. JSTOR. Web. Brush, Stephen G. "Gadflies And Geniuses In The History Of Gas Theory." History of Modern Physical Sciences The Kinetic Theory of Gases (2003): 421-50. JSTOR. Web.
Table and all attachments cost $40. Apparatus includes rotator table, Rotator part with brass circles to show shape of rotating earth, other Rotator part demonstrating centrifugal force (like Watt governor), Doppler whistle, and Rotator crank wheel.

1887
This "talking machine" is on loan to the museum by the family of Professor Ben Graham. They used it in Massachusetts in the late 1890's. The recording is on a wax cylinder instead of a flat disk. The horn is not original; the original horn was much larger.

1888
Objective of Alvan Clark Telescope
Tailpiece of Alvan Clark Telescope
The chronograph was used in conjuction with a transit telescope to make a correction to a clock. The drum was covered with a sheet of paper, and a pen-holding mechanism, now lost, moved along the length of the drum as the drum rotated. The pen made a continuous line on the paper. The pen mechanism was connected to a clock which put out an electrical pulse every second, and those pulses made jogs in the line. An observer at a transit telescope watched for the passage of a star through the meridian, and when the star crossed the cross-hairs of the telescope, the observer closed a switch which produced a different sort of jog in the line. It was then possible to determine within a small fraction of a second what the clock read when the star crossed the meridian. The drum was turned by a spring motor, and the governor to control the speed is in the upper right of the picture. This was part of the equipment in the Grinnell College observatory in the late 1800s.
The Seth Thomas clocks, acquired by the college in December of 1888, represent the pinnacle of accuracy in timekeeping within their era. The clocks have very heavy cast-iron frames and gold-plated regulators. The polished brass tubes on either side of the clocks house the weights which maintain the rhythm and accuracy of the clock regulators. The college purchased the clocks after receiving the gift of an 8-inch Clark refractor, along with a chronograph, micrometer and a transit telescope. Grinnell offered practical astronomy classes for the first time in the 1888-89 academic year. Located in Goodnow Hall and used in the Goodnow observatory , the clocks were set respectively for solar and sidereal time. This clock is set for solar time.The second image shows the Goodnow Hall clock room in the early 1900's. The chronometer is on the table to the right. The clocks, routinely maintained by Kens Clock Repair of Brooklyn, Iowa. still keep excellent time and are on display in the Kistle Science Library in the Noyce Science Center.
Replaced 2018

1892
This resistor is exactly 10 ohms at a temperature of 23.7 degrees C. It was purchased in 1892 for $5.00. Connection to a circuit was made through mercury in the cups into which the heavy leads from the resistor dip.

1893
Two Inductors

1895
This apparatus came with the holder and two brass plates, one round and the other square. The plates could be made to vibrate, perhaps by stroking with a violin bow or tapping with a mallet, and the resulting sound examined. They could also be mounted with the plate horizontal. Then if a light powder, such as lycopodium powder, was placed on the plate, the nodes of standing waves in the plate when it was bowed or tapped could be seen in patterns of the powder.
Resistance Box
Apparatus to demonstrate the conservation of momentum by the collision of balls having very hard surfaces is common, and ivory was a common material for the balls in the nineteenth century and early twentieth century. The use of ivory is not permitted now, and steel is the most common material for the balls. The balls on this apparatus are ivory.

1896
Origin: Sonora, Mexico Catalog Number: 9.1 Sample Weight: 324.5 g Type: Siderite Acquired from H. H. Nininger
Almy's X-Ray Photograph of Keys and Coins
A photograph taken by Professor Almy in February 1896. The colors are the result of fading. Originally all would have been black and white.
These four tuning forks, mounted in resonating boxes, were made by L. Landry in Paris. They were purchased in 1900 and the price of the set was $32.

1900
These four tuning forks, mounted in resonating boxes, were made by L. Landry in Paris. They were purchased in 1900 and the price of the set was $32.
In a listing of physics equipment from around 1900, this device is called a "Helixon Stand." The term "helix" was used to describe a coil of wire through which an electrical current could be passed in order to magnetize a piece of steel passing through the coil. This appears to be such a helix, and perhaps Helixon was a trade name.
This is a very sensitive galvanometer, patterned after one built by Lord Kelvin. This type galvanometer is capable of detecting a current as small as 10 picoamperes for a deflection of 1 mm at a distance of 1 m. Within each of the two brass cylinders are two facing coils, and in the center of the cylinder, betrween the coils, is a small piece of mica with five short magnetized needles glued to it. On each mica flake the needles are all turned the same way, but the two sets are oppositely directed in order to minimize the effect of the earth's magnetic field. The two sheets of mica are rigidly attached together and to a mirror between the cylinders, and mica and mirror are all suspended by a fine fiber. ("Astatic" refers to the fact that the design minimizes the effect of the earth's magnetic field.) This instrument was purchased from Queen & Company for $30, probably near 1900.
Like many other galvanometers, a ballistic galvanometer has a coil which rotates between magnets. The ballistic galvanometer has the special feature that its rotating coil has a large moment of inertia. It is used to measure quantity of charge rather than currents, for the large moment of inertia permits the passage of a quantity of charge before the coil moves significantly. The passage of the charge produces an impulse, a momentary torque, which causes the coil then to swing slowly to some maximum position. Such a galvanometer was often used to standardize capacitors. This galvanometer was purchased from Queen and Company for $75. probably near 1900.
Four Tuning Forks

1905
The sonometer is an apparatus by which the transverse vibrations of strings can be studied. It is also called the monocord because it often has only one string. On the box are two fixed bridges, near the ends, and at one end is a pulley. A string, often a steel wire, is fastened at one end, run over the bridges and the pulley, and attached to a weight holder hanging below the pulley. Weights can be added to the holder to produce tension in the wire, and a third, movable bridge, can be placed under it to change the length of the vibrating section of the string. This instrument was purchased from Queen & Co. The date is not known with certainty, but it probably was 1905 or earlier.
0-150 Volts AC or DC Style No. 35115

1908
Edison Phonograph Cylinder recording Eppler's Whiskers March Comique

1909
A photographs taken by Professor Almy in February 1896. The colors are the result of fading. Originally all would have been black and white.

1910
Early 1900s Monroe Adding Machine

1912
Origin: Gretna, IA Sample Weight: 979.5 g Total Weight: 58.7 kg L5 olivine-hypersthene chondrite. Original red-brown fusion crust shows on one surface. Grains of metal are in pure metal phase and are Ni-Fe grains interspersed with some grains of a bronze color that are FeS (Triolite). Acquired from H.H. Nininger

1920
This model, manufactured between 1915 and 1926, has a fixed-focus f/7.7 lens. The front of the camera expands out to take pictures. The version sold without the "special" branding was advertised as the "Soldier's camera" during World War 1, with a flap that can be lifted up on the back of the camera to write a note on the backing of 127mm film. A small stylus is included to do this.
Mechanical Calculator

1921
Origin: Breece, NM Catalog Number: 18.4 Sample Weight: 1196.3 g Total Weight: 51 kg Type: Iron Acquired from H.H. Nininger

1922
Created by Grinnell Students in 1922.

1927
0.5-5 Amperes AC Pattern No. 11 Serial No. 833837
Pattern No. 11
0-15 Amperes Pattern 11

1928
Has been at Grinell College since at least 1928.

1931
0-50 MIlliVolts Model 45
Origin: Henbury, Australia Catalog Number: 193.183 Sample Weight: 3227 g Type: Siderite Acquired from H.H. Nininger

1932
3-15 Volts AC Pattern No. 11

1937
Origin: Union Co., NM Catalog Number: 414.50 Sample Weight: 1007.7 g Total Weight: 45 lbs. Type: Aerolite Acquired from H.H. Nininger

1938
Origin: Hale Co., TX Catalog Number: 92.432, 92.454, 92.574 Sample Weight: 4060 g, 262 g, 529.5 g Total Weight: 600 kg Type: Aerolite Three pieces of a meteorite which fell in May of 1902 or 1903. Acquired from H.H. Nininger

1945
Grinnell's first Geiger counter which unfortunately is broken.

1950
Sent to Grant Gale at Grinnell by John Bardeen at Bell Telephone Labs in 1950

1960
0-100 Millivolts DC Model 1

1965
IBM Punch Card Fortran Code

1966
Origin: Charlevoix, Quebec Catalog Number: C16 Sample Weight: 524.3 g Not a meteorite, but a rock showing shattercone structure, which is evidence of a giant meteorite impact. Crater is 35 miles in diameter and is estimated to be 325 mil. years old. No meteorite fragments have been found. Acquired from Tiara Observatory
Origin: Etter, TX Catalog Number: H47.218 Sample Weight: 578.0 g Type: Stony, L6 First recognized as a meteorite in 1966. The vein of metal running through this entire specimen is unusual in this type of stone meteorite. Acquired from Tiara Observatory

1969
Origin: Allende, Mexico Catalog Number: H103.81 Sample Weight: 80.1 g Rare carbonaceous chondrite with gray to black fusion crust on outer surface is dull and characteristic of this type of meteorite. This is the type of meteorite is being analyzed in the search for extraterrestrial life.

1976
Gift from Robert Noyce at Intel to Grinnell College Physics Department. Paper-tape reader for Intellec 8 8080-development system.
Gift from Robert Noyce at Intel to Grinnell College Physics Department

1979
1979 Gift from Steve Jobs to Grinnell College
First single-board computer used in electronics course

1980
Sharp Calculator

1984
Origin: Owasco, NE Catalog Number: H441.29 Sample Weight: 531.6 g Type: Aerolite Complete slice from an individual with some fusion crust showing. Surface has been polished to reveal the chondrules structure on its surface and the pattern of Ni-Fe grains and Fe-S grains (brassy color). Acquired from Tiara Observatory

1989
Origin: Seagraves, TX Catalog Number: Seagraves Sample Weight: 1418 g Total Weight: 59 lbs. An L5 chondrite with excellent black fusion crust. Polished full slice shows chondrules, metal, and crust. from Tiara Observatory

2004
Canon PowerShot A95 Camera

Unknown
Before electric lights were available, oil lamps such as this one were used for illumination in the laboratory. The motion of the mirror on the movable part of a galvanometer was observed either by looking with a telescope at a scale reflected in the mirror or by observing the movement of a spot of light reflected from the mirror onto a scale. This lamp and scale were used for that purpose--light from the lamp passed through a narrow slit to the mirror, and then it was reflected back onto the scale.