Many years ago my Brother bought me a ‘Galileo Thermometer’ for a Christmas present.
I smiled and thanked him, as I freely admit, I’m impossible to buy for.
It’s effectively, a sealed glass cylinder containing water, air and individual coloured glass baubles with copper tags expressing a possible temperature.
It sat in cupboards, still boxed up.
It travelled through two house moves, still boxed up.
Recently I rediscovered it underneath a pile of books in the cupboard under the stairs. There was no way the glass ornament could have survived, so I pulled it out and opened the box expecting a collection of broken glass…
Incredibly it was still intact.
More incredibly it worked fantastically.
It now has pride of place on the kitchen windowsill.
It enables me to judge the weather and therefore what jumper to put on before I leave the house.
But the best thing of all?
It’s beautiful, simple and brilliant.
That Galileo was a genius!
Friends (21)
Search
Archives
- August 2008 (5)
- July 2008 (9)
- June 2008 (6)
- May 2008 (8)
- April 2008 (7)
- March 2008 (7)
- February 2008 (4)
- January 2008 (3)
- December 2007 (10)
- November 2007 (41)
- October 2007 (2)
- more...
Galileo Thermometer
by kirky
@ 2008-06-06 - 14:59:33
Trackback address for this post:
Comments, Trackbacks: Hide subcomments
I see your thermometre and raise you a lemon powered clock.
I have looked at those but was buggered if I could figrue out how you read them. But they do look good.
 | kirky [Member] 2008-06-06 @ 15:25 |
It's all about how the temperature causes changes in pressure.
The baubles are all weighted slightly differently and move up the cylinder when the water gets to a certain temperature.
Each bauble has a brass tag with the temperature it represents attached to it.
You simply read the tag of the lowest 'floating' baubles.
Unbelievably brilliant.
I love it when science and art go hand in hand.
 | kendersrule pro 2008-06-08 @ 11:02 |
YOU HAVE BEEN TAGGED! Please see my 'the tag thing on friday' post
Leave a comment :
Recent Posts
-
Drive down to Devon
on 2008-08-19 -
Wall-E
on 2008-08-06 -
Lightweights
on 2008-08-05 -
In spiral thinking
on 2008-08-04 -
Tail in, stitches out
on 2008-08-01 -
Getting the dog fixed
on 2008-07-28 -
Humanity absent
on 2008-07-23 -
Kung Fu Panda
on 2008-07-21 -
Church Fete
on 2008-07-14 -
I’m a genius!
on 2008-07-11
2008-06-06 @ 15:07