Measuring & Mapping

Where, how far, and how much? People have invented an astonishing array of devices to answer seemingly simple questions like these. Measuring and mapping objects in the Museum's collections include the instruments of the famous—Thomas Jefferson's thermometer and a pocket compass used by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on their expedition across the American West. A timing device was part of the pioneering motion studies of Eadweard Muybridge in the late 1800s. Time measurement is represented in clocks from simple sundials to precise chronometers for mapping, surveying, and finding longitude. Everyday objects tell part of the story, too, from tape measures and electrical meters to more than 300 scales to measure food and drink. Maps of many kinds fill out the collections, from railroad surveys to star charts.

After decades of experiments with the pendulum, Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) conceived of a pendulum clock that could be used to determine longitude at sea.
Description
After decades of experiments with the pendulum, Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) conceived of a pendulum clock that could be used to determine longitude at sea. Near the end of his life, blind and in failing health, he discussed the design with his son Vincenzio and his biographer Vincenzo Viviani. His son made a partial model and his biographer made or commissioned a drawing of the incomplete model after Galileo’s death.
The model in the Museum’s collection, made by New Jersey instrument maker Laurits Christian Eichner in 1958, is based on the seventeenth-century drawing preserved in the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale, Florence, Italy. It is made of iron and features a pinwheel escapement and a pendulum.
During the seventeenth century, the problem of finding longitude at sea was among the leading topics in scientific research. The idea of using a precise clock to find longitude dated from the century before, but no such clock existed. Clocks in Galileo’s era told time only to the nearest quarter hour and allowed only crude rate regulation. The pendulum-regulated clock, first conceived by Galileo and then realized by Christian Huygens of the Netherlands in 1656, proved unsuitable for finding longitude on a rocking ship, and a good solution to the longitude problem would not appear until the marine chronometer at the end of the 18th century. But the pendulum clock revolutionized precise time for astronomy and other research by measuring time accurately to the second.
References:
1. Bedini, Silvio A. The Pulse of Time: Galileo Galilei, the Determination of Longitude, and the Pendulum Clock. Florence: Olschki, 1991.
2. Multhauf, Robert. Laurits Christian Eichner: Craftsman 1894-1967. Washington, D.C.: N. P., 1971.
3. Vanpaemel, G. “Science Distained: Galileo and the Problem of Longitude,” Italian Scientists in the Low Countries in the XVIIth and XVIIIth Centuries. Edited by C. S. Maffioli and L. C. Palm, 111-130. Amsterdam and Atlanta: Rodopi, 1989.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1958
ID Number
ME.316158
catalog number
316158
accession number
224775
The 1901 Factory and Works Act established precise limits as to the amount of water vapor that would be allowed in British industrial settings.
Description
The 1901 Factory and Works Act established precise limits as to the amount of water vapor that would be allowed in British industrial settings. These limits were especially important in coal mines where some water could lessen the chance of explosions, but too much water could lead to medical problems for the miners.
This hygrometer was made to measure humidity in mines, and may have been used in West Virginia. The inscription reads: "John Davis & Son (Derby) Ltd. No. 443 Derby & London. Reg No. 518758." This was an English firm that specialized in mathematical and other instruments for the mining industry.
Ref.: Henry Davis, "The Application of the Hygrometer in Coal Mines," Transactions of the Institute of Mining Engineers 35 (1907-1908): 285-290.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1925-1950
maker
Davis Derby Ltd.
ID Number
PH.321863
catalog number
321863
accession number
244292
This consists of a white plastic planisphere with the northern sky on one side and the southern on the other; nine clear plastic altitude-azimuth templates for use at different latitudes up to 5o north and south; a clear plastic meridian angle diagram; and a cardboard container.
Description
This consists of a white plastic planisphere with the northern sky on one side and the southern on the other; nine clear plastic altitude-azimuth templates for use at different latitudes up to 5o north and south; a clear plastic meridian angle diagram; and a cardboard container. It is based on the Rude form, as modified in the early 1940s by Elmer Collins of the United States Hydrographic Office. It was published by the Hydrographic Office and sold for $4.00. The Hydrographic Office transferred it to the Smithsonian in 1957. The instrument bears the inscription "NO. 2102-D / STAR FINDER AND IDENTIFIER / PATENT NOS. 2304797, 2337545."
Ref: G. T. Rude, Star Finder and Identifier," U.S. patent #1,401,446
H. M. Jensen, et. al., "Navigational Instrument," U.S. patent #1,919,222
Elmer B. Collins, "Star Finder," U.S. patent #2,304,797
Elmer B. Collins, "Star Finder," U.S. patent #2,337,545
Nathaniel Bowditch, American Practical Navigator (Washington, D.C.: United States Hydrographic Office, 1962), pp. 586-589.
"Elmer B. Collins," Washington Post (2 October 1958), p. B2.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1950
ID Number
PH.315071.4
catalog number
315071.4
accession number
214422
maker number
2012-D
This is a replica of the second model of the hair hygrometer devised by Horace Benedict de Saussure (1740-1799).Ref: Horace Bénédict de Saussure, Essais sur l’Hygrometrie (Neufchatel, 1783).Currently not on view
Description
This is a replica of the second model of the hair hygrometer devised by Horace Benedict de Saussure (1740-1799).
Ref: Horace Bénédict de Saussure, Essais sur l’Hygrometrie (Neufchatel, 1783).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
before 1954
ID Number
PH.314542
catalog number
314542
accession number
204612
In the wake of the Revolution of 1789, French scientists developed a new system of weights and measures known in English-speaking countries as the metric system. A handful of early 19th-century American mathematics textbooks discussed metric measurements.
Description
In the wake of the Revolution of 1789, French scientists developed a new system of weights and measures known in English-speaking countries as the metric system. A handful of early 19th-century American mathematics textbooks discussed metric measurements. In the 1860s, metric measures were legalized in the United States, although they were not mandatory. A few advocates of the new system, most notably Columbia University president Frederick A. P. Barnard and librarian Melville Dewey, joined together to form the American Metrological Society and to advocate the use of metric measures. Dewey led the American Metric Bureau in Boston in the late 1870s. When the Bureau closed, the American Metrological Society took over distribution of its products.
One piece of Metric Bureau demonstration apparatus was a wooden cube similar to this one. It is 10 centimeters on a side. The top layer may be removed to represent 100 square centimeters (10 x 10 x 1). A 10 x 1 x 1 slice of square layer also breaks away and then a 1 x 1 x 1 cube to represent a cubic centimeter.
The wooden cube fits snugly into a hollow metal box. The volume of the cube is 1000 cubic centimeters or one liter in the metric system. A mark stamped on the box reads: LITER. If the box is filled with water, the water weighs one kilogram.
The apparatus has no maker’s mark. It has been at the Museum since at least 1963.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1880-1950
ID Number
CH.323506
catalog number
323506
accession number
251559
Among the most frequently used and most controversial tools for measuring work was the stopwatch. Stopwatches attached to clipboards, like this one from Georgia Tech, were used to teach engineering students how to do timed work measurement studies.
Description
Among the most frequently used and most controversial tools for measuring work was the stopwatch. Stopwatches attached to clipboards, like this one from Georgia Tech, were used to teach engineering students how to do timed work measurement studies. A time-study worksheet is attached to the clipboard.
Measuring the amount of time a particular work task took preoccupied managers at the turn of the 20th century. Such measurements became the cornerstone of the new profession of industrial engineering and dominated the analysis of manufacturing work until the 1960s.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1950s
1940s - 1950s
ID Number
1997.0160.03
accession number
1997.0160
catalog number
1997.0160.03.1
This instrument is a specialized timekeeper for determining longitude at sea. It is serial no. 1 from a run of approximately 10,000 similar timekeepers made by Hamilton Watch Co, Lancaster, PA in 1942.World War II created a dire chronometer shortage for the United States.
Description
This instrument is a specialized timekeeper for determining longitude at sea. It is serial no. 1 from a run of approximately 10,000 similar timekeepers made by Hamilton Watch Co, Lancaster, PA in 1942.
World War II created a dire chronometer shortage for the United States. Before the war, most chronometers for American military and civilian customers were imported. Only a few American firms—including William Bond & Son of Boston and the New York establishments of John Bliss Inc. and T.S. and J. D. Negus—finished chronometers from parts imported from European makers. Chronometer making was a craft, with only a few hundred produced in any given year. When the war started in 1941, European suppliers of parts and finished instruments halted exports to the United States.
Anticipating the arrival of war, the U.S. Naval Observatory had asked American domestic watch manufacturers in 1939 for their participation in mass-producing chronometers. Domestic watch manufacturers Hamilton and Elgin agreed to undertake the design and production, but only Hamilton’s product met Navy accuracy requirements. Hamilton delivered two prototypes to the Navy on 27 February 1942, which passed with an error rate of 1.55 seconds per day. The firm went on during the war to mass-produce 8900 more chronometers for the Navy, 1500 for merchant shipping and 500 for the Army. Between 1942 and 1944, the price dropped from $625 to $390 per timekeeper.
Hamilton’s design for its Model 21 chronometer did not copy traditional European standards. Instead the design introduced key changes to improve accuracy. The modifications included changes to the escapement and the chronometer’s oscillating unit—the balance and hairspring assembly.
To find longitude at sea, a chronometer would be set to the time of a place of known longitude, like Greenwich, England, the prime meridian. That time, carried to a remote location, could be compared to local time. Because one hour of difference in time equals 15 degrees difference in longitude, the difference in time between the chronometer and local time would yield local longitude.
References:
1. Dick, Steven J. Sky and Ocean Joined: The U. S. Naval Observatory 1830-2000. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003.
2. Whitney, Marvin. The Ship’s Chronometer. Cincinnati: American Watchmakers Institute Press, 1985.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1941
1956
maker
Hamilton
ID Number
ME.314825
catalog number
314825
accession number
210893
Working at the Lamont Geological Observatory, a Columbia University facility in Palisades, N.Y., Frank Press and his mentor, Maurice Ewing, developed seismometers that responded to surface waves of long-period and small-amplitude, whether caused by explosions or by earthquakes.
Description
Working at the Lamont Geological Observatory, a Columbia University facility in Palisades, N.Y., Frank Press and his mentor, Maurice Ewing, developed seismometers that responded to surface waves of long-period and small-amplitude, whether caused by explosions or by earthquakes. The first long-period vertical seismometer at Lamont came to public attention in early 1953 with news that it had recorded waves from a large earthquake that had recently occurred at Kamchatka, in the Soviet Union. A painting of a subsequent but similar Lamont instrument appeared on the cover of Scientific American in March 1959.
This example was made for the World Wide Standard Seismological Network. Established in 1961, the WWSSN was designed to detect underground nuclear tests and generate valuable information about the earth’s interior and its dynamic processes. The WWSSN was a key component of VELA Uniform, a Cold War project that was funded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), a branch of the Department of Defense. It was managed by the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey and then by the U.S. Geological Survey. That agency transferred this instrument to the Smithsonian in 1999.
Each of the 120 WWSSN stations had an instrument of this sort. This example was used in Junction City, Tex. It would have been linked to a matched galvanometer (such as 1999.0275.09) and a photographic drum recorder (such as 1999.0275.10). The “Sprengnether Instrument Co.” signature refers to a small shop in St. Louis, Mo., that specialized in seismological apparatus.
Like other long-period vertical seismometers developed at Lamont, this one was built around a “zero-length spring” of the sort that had been proposed in 1934 by Lucien LaCoste, a graduate student in physics at the University of Texas, and later incorporated into the gravity meters manufactured by LaCoste & Romberg.
Ref: United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, Instrumentation of the World-Wide Seismograph System, Model 10700 (Washington, D.C., 1962)
Ta-Liang Teng, “Seismic Instrumentation,” in Methods of Experimental Physics, vol. 24 part B, Geophysics (1987), pp. 56-58.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1961-1962
maker
W. F. Sprengnether Instrument Co.
ID Number
1999.0275.03
catalog number
1999.0275.03
accession number
1999.0275
While studying physics with Arnold Romberg at the University of Texas in 1933, Lucien LaCoste designed a seismometer with a so-called "zero length spring." LaCoste and Romberg formed a partnership in 1939 and began making seismometers and then gravity meters incorporating springs
Description
While studying physics with Arnold Romberg at the University of Texas in 1933, Lucien LaCoste designed a seismometer with a so-called "zero length spring." LaCoste and Romberg formed a partnership in 1939 and began making seismometers and then gravity meters incorporating springs of this sort.
As gravity meters became ever more precise, LaCoste realized that they could be used to measure earth tides. H. Neal Clarkson, a machinist at LaCoste & Romberg, designed and built the first earth tide meter under LaCoste's direction, this work serving as Clarkson's dissertation project for a PhD in physics from the University of Texas.
The DL-1 was an improved instrument that could detect variations in gravity of the order of one microgal, or one part in a billion. It was built by LaCoste & Romberg in 1953 and installed in the firm's workshop in Austin, Texas. The Institute of Geophysics at UCLA acquired the DL-1 for the worldwide survey of earth tides that it conducted during the International Geophysical Year 1957-1958. The Institute donated the instrument to the Smithsonian in 2000.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1953
maker
LaCoste & Romberg
ID Number
2000.0194.01
catalog number
2000.0194.01
accession number
2000.0194
This small brass instrument, 2¾ inches diameter, was manufactured by Short & Mason in London and sold by the Taylor Instrument Companies in the United States. The U.S.
Description
This small brass instrument, 2¾ inches diameter, was manufactured by Short & Mason in London and sold by the Taylor Instrument Companies in the United States. The U.S. Weather Bureau transferred it to the Smithsonian in 1954.
The silvered face is marked “Compensated” and “No 1016” and “U.S. WEATHER BUREAU” and “SM / LONDON” and “Tycos,” The pressure scale around the circumference of the face reads from 28 to 31 inches of mercury, in .02 inches. A sticker on the back of the case reads “DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE / 9369 WBZ.”
The Taylor Instrument Companies began operating, as such, 1904, and introduced the Tycos trade mark in 1908.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1908-1950
maker
Short & Mason
ID Number
PH.314530
accession number
204612
catalog number
314530
Working at the Lamont Geological Observatory, a Columbia University facility in Palisades, N.Y., Frank Press and his mentor, Maurice Ewing, designed seismometers that responded to surface waves of long-period and small-amplitude whether caused by explosions or by earthquakes.
Description
Working at the Lamont Geological Observatory, a Columbia University facility in Palisades, N.Y., Frank Press and his mentor, Maurice Ewing, designed seismometers that responded to surface waves of long-period and small-amplitude whether caused by explosions or by earthquakes. Their horizontal seismometer was of the “garden-gate” form: here, the horizontal boom attaches to the lower end of a vertical post, and a diagonal wire extends from the upper end of the post to the outer end of the boom. The first example was installed in 1953.
This example was made for the World Wide Standard Seismological Network. Established in 1961, the WWSSN was designed to detect underground nuclear tests, and generate valuable information about the earth’s interior and its dynamic processes. The WWSSN was a key component of VELA Uniform, a Cold War project that was funded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), a branch of the Department of Defense. It was managed by the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey and then by the U.S. Geological Survey. That agency transferred this instrument to the Smithsonian in 1999.
Each of the 120 stations in the WWSSN had two horizontal seismometers of this sort (one to capture the east-west component of the earth’s motions, and one to capture the north-south component). This example was used Junction City, Tx. It would have been linked to a matched galvanometer (such as 1999.0275.09) and a photographic drum recorder (such as 1999.0275.10). The “Sprengnether Instrument Co.” signature refers to a firm in St. Louis, Mo., that specialized in seismological instruments.
Ref: United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, Instrumentation of the World-Wide Seismograph System, Model 10700 (Washington, D.C., 1962).
W.F. Sprengnether Instrument Co., Inc., General Discription (sic) Long Period Horizontal Seismometer ([St. Louis], n.d.).
W.F. Sprengnether Instrument Co., Inc., Sprengnether Horizontal Component Seismometer, Series H ([St. Louis], n.d.).
Ta-Liang Teng, “Seismic Instrumentation,” in Methods of Experimental Physics, vol. 24 part B, Geophysics (1987), pp. 56-58.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1961-1962
maker
Geotechnical Corporation
W. F. Sprengnether Instrument Co.
ID Number
1999.0275.04
catalog number
1999.0275.04
accession number
1999.0275
This variometer measures slight changes in magnetic declination. The surrounding Helmholtz coil enables its scale value to be determined electrically. It is marked "RUSKA INSTRUMENT CORPORATION HOUSTON TEXAS No. 5733 MADE IN U.S.A." The U.S.
Description
This variometer measures slight changes in magnetic declination. The surrounding Helmholtz coil enables its scale value to be determined electrically. It is marked "RUSKA INSTRUMENT CORPORATION HOUSTON TEXAS No. 5733 MADE IN U.S.A." The U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey acquired it in 1957, probably for use during the International Geophysical Year. The U.S. Geological Survey acquired it in 1973 when it assumed responsibility for the geomagnetic program of the federal government, and transferred it to the Smithsonian in 1982.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1957
maker
Ruska Instrument Corporation
ID Number
1982.0671.13b
accession number
1982.0671
catalog number
1982.0671.13b
This promotional white plastic six-inch ruler is divided along the top edge to sixteenths of an inch and numbered from 1 to 6. The bottom edge has six one-inch sections, divided to 1/10", 1/12", 1/16", 1/24", 1/32", and 1/64", respectively.
Description
This promotional white plastic six-inch ruler is divided along the top edge to sixteenths of an inch and numbered from 1 to 6. The bottom edge has six one-inch sections, divided to 1/10", 1/12", 1/16", 1/24", 1/32", and 1/64", respectively. The center of the ruler is marked: MARCHANT CALCULATORS. Between these words is marked: NORMAN G. HOUGH, SR. (/) 1412 Eye St., N.W. Washington 5, D.C. (/) Republic 1673-1674-1675. A 1951 calendar is on the back. Compare to MA.293320.2811.
The Marchant Calculating Machine Company of Oakland, Calif., was the oldest and one of the most influential American manufacturers of mechanical and electronic calculators. Established in 1911, the firm quickly built up a national sales network. Recognizing that the term "calculating machine" had fallen from use, the firm formally changed its name in 1952 to Marchant Calculators, Inc. In 1958 the company merged with Smith-Corona, Inc., a manufacturer of typewriters, adding machines, and cash registers. A slow decline followed for the combined firm, as electronic computers began performing the tasks of Smith-Corona Marchant's machines. SCM stopped selling calculators in 1973. Over 150 of Marchant's products and related documentation are in the Smithsonian collections.
Norman G. Hough, Sr., presumably distributed Marchant cacluating machines in Washington, D.C. It is not known whether he was the same Norman G. Hough who directed a trade organization for lime and concrete from the 1910s to the 1930s.
References: "Marchant Calculator," http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marchant_Calculator; Nigel Tout, "Marchant," Vintage Calculators Web Museum, http://www.vintagecalculators.com/html/marchant.html; Ernie Jorgenson, "My Years with Marchant," December 1987, Xnumber World of Calculators, ed. James Redin, http://www.xnumber.com/xnumber/marchant.htm.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1951
distributor
Marchant Calculating Machine Company
maker
Marchant Calculators
ID Number
MA.293320.2816
accession number
293320
catalog number
293320.2816
The lower blade of this 24" brass hinged parallel rule is marked: KELVIN – WHITE CO. BOSTON – NEW YORK. The instrument has one rectangular wooden handle and one rectangular black plastic handle. Both handles are attached by crude welding.
Description
The lower blade of this 24" brass hinged parallel rule is marked: KELVIN – WHITE CO. BOSTON – NEW YORK. The instrument has one rectangular wooden handle and one rectangular black plastic handle. Both handles are attached by crude welding. They may have been added by the previous owner, since Kelvin & White catalog advertisements show round knobs in 1931 and no handles in 1940. The side and top edges of the rule are divided as a rectangular protractor, numbered by tens from 180 to 10 and from 360 to 180. Unlike MA.309661, MA.309662, and MA.309663, the bottom edge is not divided for a protractor or nautical compass points.
Australian shipbuilder Wilfrid O. White (1878–1955) studied in Glasgow, Scotland, with William Thomson, Lord Kelvin (1824–1907), before settling in Boston in 1902. White served as an agent for the Glasgow instrument workshop in which Kelvin Australian shipbuilder Wilfrid O. White (1878–1955) studied in Glasgow, Scotland, with William Thomson, Lord Kelvin (1824–1907), before settling in Boston in 1902. White started as an agent for a Glasgow instrument workshop which Kelvin had helped establish, sstaying there until about 1918 (after Kelvin's death). He then established the American firm of Kelvin & Wilfrid O. White.The company was renamed Wilfrid O. White & Sons, Inc., in 1950. Throughout its existence the firm charged $28.00 for the 24" brass version of "Captain Field's improved parallel rule," model number 554. The markings in this example are like those shown in the 1940 catalog.
References: Kelvin & Wilfrid O. White Company, 1931 Catalogue of . . . Navigational Instruments and Equipment (Boston, 1931), 37; Kelvin & Wilfrid O. White Company, Catalog No. 40–Y (Boston, 1940), 35; Peggy A. Kidwell, "American Parallel Rules: Invention on the Fringes of Industry," Rittenhouse 10, no. 39 (1996): 90–96; Deborah J. Warner, "Browse by Maker: Kelvin & Wilfrid O. White," National Museum of American History Physical Sciences Collection: Navigation , http://amhistory.si.edu/navigation/maker.cfm?makerid=43; T. N. Clarke, A. D. Morrison-Low, and A. D. Simpson, Brass & Glass: Scientific Instrument Making Workshops in Scotland (Edinburgh: National Museums of Scotland, 1989), 252–275.
White is listed as running his own business on his World War I draft card, dated september 12, 1918. This is available on ancestry.com.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1932-1950
maker
Kelvin & Wilfrid O. White
ID Number
1984.1002.01
catalog number
1984.1002.01
accession number
1984.1002
After World War II, inexpensive adders were produced in both Europe and Asia. This example has 8 notched bands on the front, with space at the top of each band for carrying and at the bottom for borrowing.
Description
After World War II, inexpensive adders were produced in both Europe and Asia. This example has 8 notched bands on the front, with space at the top of each band for carrying and at the bottom for borrowing. Totals of up to 9 digits appear in round openings above the bands.The front is ferrous metal painted gold, black, and white. The back is black plastic. A metal stylus for entering numbers is on the right and a zeroing bar extends across the top.
A mark at the top of the adder reads: W CALCULATOR. A mark below the bands reads: ADD (/) SUBTRACT (/) MULTIPLY. A mark at the bottom of the back reads: MADE IN WEST GERMANY.
The object was collected by the donor.
Compare to adders MA.336448 and 1980.0787.01, which sold as Wizard calculating machines.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1955
ID Number
2013.0197.01
accession number
2013.0197
catalog number
2013.0197.01
Background on secondary gamma-ray standards, Object IDs 1994.0125.55, .56, .57, & .58Instruments used for radiation detection, measurements, or surveys need to be calibrated periodically.
Description
Background on secondary gamma-ray standards, Object IDs 1994.0125.55, .56, .57, & .58
Instruments used for radiation detection, measurements, or surveys need to be calibrated periodically. A radioactive source (not necessarily calibrated) is used to confirm the satisfactory operation of an instrument. A standard source is a radiation source exhibiting a disintegration (e.g., disintegrations per second or dps), emission or exposure rate certified by or traceable to the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), formerly the National Bureau of Standards (NBS). NIST maintains the primary radiation sources, and makes available and/or certifies secondary sources for instrument calibration. For details on survey instrument calibration, see:
http://www.rso.utah.edu/policies/rpr/52instrucare/52instrucare.pdf
Detailed description of Cobalt 60 secondary gamma-ray standard, 0.685x10E6 dps, Object 1994.0125.57
(One of the accompanying photographs provided by donor, Prof. Herbert Clark, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.)
Flame sealed glass ampoule, 3” long, 5/8” diam., held by base and tip in a transparent cylindrical plastic container with black-painted aluminum screw cap, 3 ¾” long, 7/8” diam. About two-thirds of the ampoule volume contains a slightly pinkish-tinged liquid. A glued-on paper label, has printed the following: “National Bureau of Standards / Co[E]60 Gamma Ray Standard / 0.685x10[E]6 dps on Oct.1, 1953”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1953
maker
National Bureau of Standards
ID Number
1994.0125.57
accession number
1994.0125
catalog number
1994.0125.57
Background on “Cutie Pie” type radiation survey meter, Object ID 1994.0125.30.1 and alternate ionization chamber, Object ID 1994.0125.30.2A Cutie Pie type of meter, such as Object ID 1994.0125.30.1, is a hand-held ionization chamber instrument.As defined by the U.S.
Description
Background on “Cutie Pie” type radiation survey meter, Object ID 1994.0125.30.1 and alternate ionization chamber, Object ID 1994.0125.30.2
A Cutie Pie type of meter, such as Object ID 1994.0125.30.1, is a hand-held ionization chamber instrument.
As defined by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), a survey meter is any portable radiation detection instrument especially adapted for inspecting an area or individual to establish the existence and amount of radioactive material present. The survey meter typically measures the amount of radiation present and provides this information on a numerical display in units of counts per minute, counts per second, or microroentgen (µR) or microrem (µrem) per hour. The most commonly used hand-held survey meters are the scintillation counter, which is used in the measurement of alpha, beta and neutron particles; the Geiger counter, widely used for the measurement of alpha, beta and gamma levels; and the ion chamber, which is used for beta, gamma and X-ray measurements.
For background on the development of early survey meters and their nicknames, go to:
https://www.orau.org/ptp/collection/surveymeters/surveymeters.htm
The ionization chamber is the simplest of all gas-filled radiation detectors, and is widely used for the detection and measurement of certain types of ionizing radiation; X-rays, gamma rays and beta particles. Conventionally, the term "ionization chamber" is used exclusively to describe those detectors which collect all the charges created by direct ionization within the gas through the application of an electric field. It only uses the discrete charges created by each interaction between the incident radiation and the gas, and does not involve the gas multiplication mechanisms used by other radiation instruments, such as the Geiger-Müller counter or the proportional counter. Ion chambers have a good uniform response to radiation over a wide range of energies and are the preferred means of measuring high levels of gamma radiation. They are widely used in the nuclear power industry, research labs, radiography, radiobiology, and environmental monitoring.
Detailed description of Object ID no. 1994.0125.30.1, Cutie Pie type radiation survey meter by Chicago Nuclear Corp., Model 2586.
(One of accompanying photographs for .30.1 provided by donor, Prof. Herbert Clark, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.)
Gray-painted cast aluminum bread loaf-shaped housing, sitting on similarly made 'shoe' surmounting integral pistol grip. Inserted into front of housing is black cylindrical ionization chamber, 8cm (3 in) diam., ca 21 cm (8½ in) long, with window at front end covered by white plastic cap. The chamber has a multi-pin base that plugs into the main unit. The plastic cap contains a calibration source. At the back of housing, facing operator, is 'rate' ammeter. Instrument stands on butt of grip and on two chrome-plated 5 mm diam. wire legs, in form of square loops, that may be rotated around their insertions in front and back of 'shoe' into retracted positions alongside housing. Total length 34 cm (13¼ in), width 8 cm (3¼ in), height 23 cm (9 in). Painted on side of housing: "nuclear-chicago/ Model 2586". Label adhered on bottom of base: "Mod 2586/ Ser 1384/ nuclear-chicago/ Corporation/ Des Plaines, Illinois". Clark (letter 1994.5.4) used this instrument during the 1960s.
Detailed description of Object ID no. 1994.0125.30.2, Ionization chamber for Cutie Pie type radiation survey meter .30.1
An alternate, interchangeable, 8 cm (3 1/8 in) diam., black cylindrical ionization chamber with incorporated electrometer tube for extending sensitivity of survey meter .30.1 by a factor of 100. On the cylinder is a two-position switch knob over a label that reads: “P24M / INTEGRATING CHAMBER / RANGE / X0.01 X1 / DO NOT USE WITH X100 / PULL TO REMOVE”. The chamber also has a detachable plastic cap that contains a calibration source.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1950s
maker
Nuclear Chicago Corporation
ID Number
1994.0125.30.2
accession number
1994.0125
catalog number
1994.0125.30.2
These two instruments are identical. On one side, each 4-3/8" white plastic L-shaped square has scales along its inner edge for reducing yards to the representative fraction (R.F.) of 1:25,000, divided to twenties and numbered by 500s from 0 to 1,500.
Description
These two instruments are identical. On one side, each 4-3/8" white plastic L-shaped square has scales along its inner edge for reducing yards to the representative fraction (R.F.) of 1:25,000, divided to twenties and numbered by 500s from 0 to 1,500. Scales along its outer edge are for reducing yards to R.F. 1:50,000, divided to hundreds and numbered by thousands from 1,000 to 5,000. The end of one leg is marked: U.S. The other leg is marked: G. FELSENTHAL & SONS, INC. (/) MFR. PT. NO. FAE-5 (/) FSN 6675-283-0020. The letters FSN abbreviate "Federal Stock Number."
The other side is printed in red and has scales along its inner edge for reducing meters to R.F. 1:25,000, divided to twenties and numbered by 500s from 0 to 1,500. Scales along its outer edge are for reducing meters to R.F. 1:50,000, divided to fifties and numbered by thousands from 1,000 to 5,000. The end of one leg is marked: U.S. The device, also known as a "coordinate scale," was used by soldiers to compare measurements to notations on a chart in order to aim artillery or to interpret surveillance photographs. Compare to 1977.1141.17.
The Chicago firm that manufactured these squares was known as G. Felsenthal & Sons in the 1940s, G. Felsenthal & Sons, Inc., in the 1950s, and Felsenthal Instrument Co. in the 1960s and 1970s. It made model number FAE-5 for the U.S. Army from World War II through the 1960s. By the late 1960s, the product also came in an aluminum version.
Ben Wharton Rau (1904–1995) and his wife, Margery Felsenthal Rau (1916–2010), arranged the donation of this and many other instruments to the Smithsonian. Margery's grandfather, Gabe Felsenthal, founded the firm in 1899, and her father, Irving (1887–1956), was one of the "Sons" of G. Felsenthal & Sons. Ben worked for the Felsenthals for over three decades. His duties included touring military facilities with a large display of the company's products. He catalogued hundreds of instruments when the company went out of business in 1976. He also held patents on a collapsible film reel, a proportional divider, and a belt buckle assembly.
References: Deborah J. Warner, “Browse by Maker: Felsenthal,” National Museum of American History Physical Sciences Collection: Navigation , http://amhistory.si.edu/navigation/maker.cfm?makerid=173; "Irving G. Felsenthal," Chicago Tribune , February 26, 1956, http://www.susaneking.com/genealogy/showsource.php?sourceID=S01752&tree=GreenebaumSam; Copyright Office, Library of Congress, "Books and Pamphlets," Catalog of Copyright Entries , 3rd ser., 16, part 1, no. 2 (1964): 1392; ); Department of Defense, Employment of U.S. Army Aviation Company (Aerial Surveillance) in Counter-Intelligence Operations (February 9, 1966), D-1–D-2, http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/371854.pdf; U.S. Army Artillery and Missile School, Artillery Trends, Instructional Aid No. 41 (Fort Sill, Okla., July 1968), 84, http://sill-www.army.mil/firesbulletin/archives/1968/JUL_1968/JUL_1968_FULL_EDITION.pdf; Ben W. Rau, "Collapsible Film Reel" (U.S. Patent 3,447,759 issued June 3, 1969), "Proportional Divider" (U.S. Patent D214,399 issued June 10, 1969), "Belt Buckle Assembly" (U.S. Patent 3,475,797 issued November 4, 1969.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1950s
ID Number
1977.1141.16
catalog number
336400
accession number
1977.1141
This battered table, printed on heavy green paper, gives an alphabetical list of units of measure, conversion factors, and new units of measure. For example, for the unit of measure centimeters, the conversion factor is 0.3937.
Description
This battered table, printed on heavy green paper, gives an alphabetical list of units of measure, conversion factors, and new units of measure. For example, for the unit of measure centimeters, the conversion factor is 0.3937. Multiplying a measurement in centimeters by the conversion factor gives a result in inches.
The table was distributed by Precision Equipment Company of Chicago, Illinois. The back of the table advertises the company’s shelving and safety steps. A sentence at the bottom of the chart reads: Reproduced with the Permission of Foxboro Co. and Exporters’ Digest.
The owner of the table inserted a row with the conversion factor of 1.151 for converting from nautical miles to statute miles.
Exporters’ Digest was published from 1927 through 1958. Foxboro Company was in business from 1912 through 1990. A surviving piece of trade literature suggests that the Precision Equipment Company was in business in the 1950s. Hence the rough date of 1950 assigned to the object.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1950
ID Number
1981.0922.16
accession number
1981.0922
catalog number
1981.0922.16
Tape measure. It has a round white and cream-colored celluloid cover with red and black print. An advertisment for Enfamil "breast-milk type formula product" is on one side, with an image in red of a woman breast-feeding a baby.
Description (Brief)
Tape measure. It has a round white and cream-colored celluloid cover with red and black print. An advertisment for Enfamil "breast-milk type formula product" is on one side, with an image in red of a woman breast-feeding a baby. The reverse advertises Deca-Vi-Sol, Poly-Vi-Sol, and Tri-Vi-Sol vitamin drops.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1959
maker
Mead Johnson Laboratories
ID Number
2006.0098.1534
catalog number
2006.0098.1534
accession number
2006.0098
Green celluloid in the shape of a pig. A cloth tape measure extends from its mouth. The remains of a sticker are on the back. The tape measure tab is missing, and has been replaced by a green stick pin. It was made in occupied Japan.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Green celluloid in the shape of a pig. A cloth tape measure extends from its mouth. The remains of a sticker are on the back. The tape measure tab is missing, and has been replaced by a green stick pin. It was made in occupied Japan.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1945-1952
ID Number
2006.0098.1553
catalog number
2006.0098.1553
accession number
2006.0098
Background on “Cutie Pie” type radiation survey meter, Object ID 1994.0125.30.1 and alternate ionization chamber, Object ID 1994.0125.30.2A Cutie Pie type of meter, such as Object ID 1994.0125.30.1, is a hand-held ionization chamber instrument.As defined by the U.S.
Description
Background on “Cutie Pie” type radiation survey meter, Object ID 1994.0125.30.1 and alternate ionization chamber, Object ID 1994.0125.30.2
A Cutie Pie type of meter, such as Object ID 1994.0125.30.1, is a hand-held ionization chamber instrument.
As defined by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), a survey meter is any portable radiation detection instrument especially adapted for inspecting an area or individual to establish the existence and amount of radioactive material present. The survey meter typically measures the amount of radiation present and provides this information on a numerical display in units of counts per minute, counts per second, or microroentgen (µR) or microrem (µrem) per hour. The most commonly used hand-held survey meters are the scintillation counter, which is used in the measurement of alpha, beta and neutron particles; the Geiger counter, widely used for the measurement of alpha, beta and gamma levels; and the ion chamber, which is used for beta, gamma and X-ray measurements.
For background on the development of early survey meters and their nicknames, go to:
https://www.orau.org/ptp/collection/surveymeters/surveymeters.htm
The ionization chamber is the simplest of all gas-filled radiation detectors, and is widely used for the detection and measurement of certain types of ionizing radiation; X-rays, gamma rays and beta particles. Conventionally, the term "ionization chamber" is used exclusively to describe those detectors which collect all the charges created by direct ionization within the gas through the application of an electric field. It only uses the discrete charges created by each interaction between the incident radiation and the gas, and does not involve the gas multiplication mechanisms used by other radiation instruments, such as the Geiger-Müller counter or the proportional counter. Ion chambers have a good uniform response to radiation over a wide range of energies and are the preferred means of measuring high levels of gamma radiation. They are widely used in the nuclear power industry, research labs, radiography, radiobiology, and environmental monitoring.
Detailed description of Object ID no. 1994.0125.30.1, Cutie Pie type radiation survey meter by Chicago Nuclear Corp., Model 2586.
(One of the accompanying photographs provided by donor, Prof. Herbert Clark, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.)
Gray-painted cast aluminum bread loaf-shaped housing, sitting on similarly made 'shoe' surmounting integral pistol grip. Inserted into front of housing is black cylindrical ionization chamber, 8cm (3 in) diam., ca 21 cm (8½ in) long, with window at front end covered by white plastic cap. The chamber has a multi-pin base that plugs into the main unit. The plastic cap contains a calibration source. At the back of housing, facing operator, is 'rate' ammeter. Instrument stands on butt of grip and on two chrome-plated 5 mm diam. wire legs, in form of square loops, that may be rotated around their insertions in front and back of 'shoe' into retracted positions alongside housing. Total length 34 cm (13¼ in), width 8 cm (3¼ in), height 23 cm (9 in). Painted on side of housing: "nuclear-chicago/ Model 2586". Label adhered on bottom of base: "Mod 2586/ Ser 1384/ nuclear-chicago/ Corporation/ Des Plaines, Illinois". RPI Prof. Herbert Clark (letter 1994.5.4) used this instrument during the 1960s.
Detailed description of Object ID no. 1994.0125.30.2, Ionization chamber for Cutie Pie type radiation survey meter .30.1
An alternate, interchangeable, 8 cm (3 1/8 in) diam., black cylindrical ionization chamber with incorporated electrometer tube for extending sensitivity of survey meter .30.1 by a factor of 100. On the cylinder is a two-position switch knob over a label that reads: “P24M / INTEGRATING CHAMBER / RANGE / X0.01 X1 / DO NOT USE WITH X100 / PULL TO REMOVE”. The chamber also has a detachable plastic cap that contains a calibration source.
For full details on the Nuclear-Chicago Model 2586 radiation survey meter and related devices, see Rick Maurer’s comprehensive, web-based National Radiation Instrument Catalog at:
http://national-radiation-instrument-catalog.com/new_page_42.htm
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1950s
maker
Nuclear Chicago Corporation
ID Number
1994.0125.30.1
accession number
1994.0125
catalog number
1994.0125.30.1
Background on Scintillation counter for uranium prospecting, Object ID 1994.0125.37A scintillation counter is an instrument for detecting and measuring ionizing radiation by using the excitation effect of incident radiation on a scintillator material, and detecting the resultant
Description
Background on Scintillation counter for uranium prospecting, Object ID 1994.0125.37
A scintillation counter is an instrument for detecting and measuring ionizing radiation by using the excitation effect of incident radiation on a scintillator material, and detecting the resultant light pulses. It consists of a scintillator which generates photons of light in response to incident radiation, a sensitive photomultiplier tube which converts the light to an electrical signal and electronics to process this signal. Scintillation counters are widely used in radiation protection, assay of radioactive materials and physics research because they can be made inexpensively yet with good quantum efficiency, and can measure both the intensity and the energy of incident radiation.
For technical details on scintillation counting, see the following reference:
http://www.hamamatsu.com/resources/pdf/etd/PMT_handbook_v3aE-Chapter7.pdf
Detailed description of Object. ID 1994.0125.37
(Some of the accompanying] photographs provided by donor, Prof. Herbert Clark, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.)
The object is a scintillation counter by Chatham Electronics, Model SC-102. According to the accompanying Manual of Operation, the SC-102 incorporates a thallium-activated sodium iodide crystal for converting radiation into scintillations of visible light. This crystal is optically coupled to a photomultiplier tube. Specially designed circuits discriminate against spurious noise signals and count the scintillations due to radioactivity so that minute variations in radiation level can be detected by reading the output pointer needle on the instrument. The design of the SC-102 increases its versatility so that it can be used for uranium prospecting, assaying of ore samples in the field, well logging, and oil prospecting.
A gray leatherette-covered case (ca 10 in high x 14 in long x 7 in wide) includes the scintillation counter and probe, a calibration source, an extension cord for the probe, and waist and shoulder carrying straps. The counter is in a kidney-shaped, red plastic housing covered by horizontal cast aluminum face-plate, into which is stuck, vertically, a pistol-handled probe containing a sodium iodide crystal and photomultiplier tube.
Also included is "Manual of Operation" and an Oct. 1951 edition of USAEC & USGS publication "Prospecting for Uranium".
For additional details on the Chatham Electronics Model SC-102 scintillation counter, see Rick Maurer's comprehensive web-based National Radiation Instrument Catalog at:
http://national-radiation-instrument-catalog.com/new_page_94.htm
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1950s
maker
Chatham Electronics
ID Number
1994.0125.37
accession number
1994.0125
catalog number
1994.0125.37
Background on secondary gamma-ray standards, Object IDs 1994.0125.55, .56, .57, & .58Instruments used for radiation detection, measurements, or surveys need to be calibrated periodically.
Description
Background on secondary gamma-ray standards, Object IDs 1994.0125.55, .56, .57, & .58
Instruments used for radiation detection, measurements, or surveys need to be calibrated periodically. A radioactive source (not necessarily calibrated) is used to confirm the satisfactory operation of an instrument. A standard source is a radiation source exhibiting a disintegration (e.g., disintegrations per second or dps), emission or exposure rate certified by or traceable to the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), formerly the National Bureau of Standards (NBS). NIST maintains the primary radiation sources, and makes available and/or certifies secondary sources for instrument calibration. For details on survey instrument calibration, see:
http://www.rso.utah.edu/policies/rpr/52instrucare/52instrucare.pdf
Detailed description of Cobalt 60 secondary gamma-ray standard, 0.685x10E5 dps, Object 1994.0125.56
Flame sealed glass ampoule, 3” long, 5/8” diam., held by base and tip in a transparent cylindrical plastic container with black-painted aluminum screw cap, 3 ¾” long, 7/8” diam. About two-thirds of the ampoule volume contains a slightly pinkish-tinged liquid. A glued-on paper label, with a red border on 3 sides, handwritten in blue ink reads: “Nat. Bureau of Stds / Co[E]60 Gamma Ray Std / 0.685x10[E]5 dps on / Oct. 1, 1953”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1953
maker
National Bureau of Standards
ID Number
1994.0125.56
accession number
1994.0125
catalog number
1994.0125.56

Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.

If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.