The Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester - Joule and Energy

INTRODUCTION
THE EXPERIMENT
JOULE'S LIFE AND WORK
APPARATUS
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
GLOSSARY

Welcome >> The collection >> Hunterian Kelvin collection

Tangent Galvanometer

A tangent galvanometer which Joule designed and used in a wide range of experiments for measuring the strength of electric currents.

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A tangent galvanometer which Joule designed and used in a wide range of experiments for measuring the strength of electric currents. It was made for him around 1845 by J.B. Dancer of Manchester. Joule's son gave it to Lord Kelvin (William Thomson) after his father's death. The Joule pattern galvanometer became a standard instrument in laboratories, universities and schools and was still in use when modern electronic instruments replaced them in the early 1960s.

Ref: GLAHM 113361

Electric Motor

An unsigned and hand made electric motor, possibly made by Joule in around 1839.

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An unsigned and hand made electric motor, possibly made by Joule around 1839. It operated on 6v DC and, apart from one loose connection, is in working order. The secondary coil on a small spindle stuck in the middle of the base is interchangeable with the working coil mounted in the magnetic ring. The pulley at the end of the base was used to demonstrate the efficiency of the motor by lifting small weights attached to the motor's spindle by a length of thread.

Ref: GLAHM 113365

 

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