Science & Mathematics

The Museum's collections hold thousands of objects related to chemistry, biology, physics, astronomy, and other sciences. Instruments range from early American telescopes to lasers. Rare glassware and other artifacts from the laboratory of Joseph Priestley, the discoverer of oxygen, are among the scientific treasures here. A Gilbert chemistry set of about 1937 and other objects testify to the pleasures of amateur science. Artifacts also help illuminate the social and political history of biology and the roles of women and minorities in science.

The mathematics collection holds artifacts from slide rules and flash cards to code-breaking equipment. More than 1,000 models demonstrate some of the problems and principles of mathematics, and 80 abstract paintings by illustrator and cartoonist Crockett Johnson show his visual interpretations of mathematical theorems.

The test tube is one of the most commonly used pieces of laboratory ware, available in many sizes ranging from less than 1 inch to 6 inches in length.
Description
The test tube is one of the most commonly used pieces of laboratory ware, available in many sizes ranging from less than 1 inch to 6 inches in length. The test tube was developed by Michael Faraday (1791-1867), the renowned British physicist and chemist, to replace the much larger wine glass test glass. Test tubes are the perfect shape and size to hold small amounts of substances, usually liquid, which are then manipulated in some way, such as being placed over the flame of a Bunsen burner.
The test tube has changed little since the early 19th century, although it is now made of plastic as well as glass.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
CH.315121.057
catalog number
315121.057
accession number
215563
The test tube is one of the most commonly used pieces of laboratory ware, available in many sizes ranging from less than 1 inch to 6 inches in length.
Description
The test tube is one of the most commonly used pieces of laboratory ware, available in many sizes ranging from less than 1 inch to 6 inches in length. The form came into use in England in the early years of the nineteenth century, and is the perfect shape and size to hold small amounts of substances, usually liquid, which are then manipulated in some way.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
CH.315121.055
catalog number
315121.055
accession number
215563
The test tube is one of the most commonly used pieces of laboratory ware, available in many sizes ranging from less than 1 inch to 6 inches in length.
Description
The test tube is one of the most commonly used pieces of laboratory ware, available in many sizes ranging from less than 1 inch to 6 inches in length. The test tube was developed by Michael Faraday (1791-1867), the renowned British physicist and chemist, to replace the much larger wine glass test glass. Test tubes are the perfect shape and size to hold small amounts of substances, usually liquid, which are then manipulated in some way, such as being placed over the flame of a Bunsen burner.
The test tube has changed little since the early 19th century, although it is now made of plastic as well as glass.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
CH.315121.056
catalog number
315121.056
accession number
215563
The test tube is one of the most commonly used pieces of laboratory ware, available in many sizes ranging from less than 1 inch to 6 inches in length.
Description
The test tube is one of the most commonly used pieces of laboratory ware, available in many sizes ranging from less than 1 inch to 6 inches in length. The test tube was developed by Michael Faraday (1791-1867), the renowned British physicist and chemist, to replace the much larger wine glass test glass. Test tubes are the perfect shape and size to hold small amounts of substances, usually liquid, which are then manipulated in some way, such as being placed over the flame of a Bunsen burner.
The test tube has changed little since the early 19th century, although it is now made of plastic as well as glass.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1931-1985
ID Number
1985.0311.420
catalog number
1985.0311.420
accession number
1985.0311
The test tube is one of the most commonly used pieces of laboratory ware, available in many sizes ranging from less than 1 inch to 6 inches in length.
Description
The test tube is one of the most commonly used pieces of laboratory ware, available in many sizes ranging from less than 1 inch to 6 inches in length. Test tubes are the perfect shape and size to hold small amounts of substances, usually liquid, which are then manipulated in some way, such as being placed over the flame of a Bunsen burner.
The earliest English account of test tubes, and wooden test racks that hold tubes upright so their contents would not spill, appears in A System of Theoretical and Practical Chemistry (London, 1803) written by Frederick Accum, a German “operative chemist” who offered chemicals, books, lessons, and apparatus from his shop in Compton Street, Soho. Since Accum never claimed to have invented either form, we might assume that both were known to practical chemists and others who seldom discussed their work in print. Indeed, Accum may have learned about test tubes during his apprenticeship in a pharmacy in Hanover.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
CH.315121.060
catalog number
315121.060
accession number
215563
The test tube is one of the most commonly used pieces of laboratory ware, available in many sizes ranging from less than 1 inch to 6 inches in length. The for came into use in England in the early years of the nineteenth century.
Description
The test tube is one of the most commonly used pieces of laboratory ware, available in many sizes ranging from less than 1 inch to 6 inches in length. The for came into use in England in the early years of the nineteenth century. It is the perfect shape and size to hold small amounts of substances, usually liquid, which are then manipulated in some way, such as being placed over the flame of a Bunsen burner.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
CH.315121.054
catalog number
315121.054
accession number
215563
The test tube is one of the most commonly used pieces of laboratory ware, available in many sizes ranging from less than 1 inch to 6 inches in length.
Description
The test tube is one of the most commonly used pieces of laboratory ware, available in many sizes ranging from less than 1 inch to 6 inches in length. The test tube was developed by Michael Faraday (1791-1867), the renowned British physicist and chemist, to replace the much larger wine glass test glass. Test tubes are the perfect shape and size to hold small amounts of substances, usually liquid, which are then manipulated in some way, such as being placed over the flame of a Bunsen burner.
The test tube has changed little since the early 19th century, although it is now made of plastic as well as glass.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
CH.315121.062
catalog number
315121.062
accession number
215563
The test tube is one of the most commonly used pieces of laboratory ware, available in many sizes ranging from less than 1 inch to 6 inches in length.
Description
The test tube is one of the most commonly used pieces of laboratory ware, available in many sizes ranging from less than 1 inch to 6 inches in length. The test tube was developed by Michael Faraday (1791-1867), the renowned British physicist and chemist, to replace the much larger wine glass test glass. Test tubes are the perfect shape and size to hold small amounts of substances, usually liquid, which are then manipulated in some way, such as being placed over the flame of a Bunsen burner.
The test tube has changed little since the early 19th century, although it is now made of plastic as well as glass.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
CH.315121.064
catalog number
315121.064
accession number
215563
The test tube is one of the most commonly used pieces of laboratory ware, available in many sizes ranging from less than 1 inch to 6 inches in length.
Description
The test tube is one of the most commonly used pieces of laboratory ware, available in many sizes ranging from less than 1 inch to 6 inches in length. The test tube was developed by Michael Faraday (1791-1867), the renowned British physicist and chemist, to replace the much larger wine glass test glass. Test tubes are the perfect shape and size to hold small amounts of substances, usually liquid, which are then manipulated in some way, such as being placed over the flame of a Bunsen burner.
The test tube has changed little since the early 19th century, although it is now made of plastic as well as glass.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
CH.315121.063
catalog number
315121.063
accession number
215563
The test tube is one of the most commonly used pieces of laboratory ware, available in many sizes ranging from less than 1 inch to 6 inches in length.
Description
The test tube is one of the most commonly used pieces of laboratory ware, available in many sizes ranging from less than 1 inch to 6 inches in length. Test tubes are the perfect shape and size to hold small amounts of substances, usually liquid, which are then manipulated in some way, such as being placed over the flame of a Bunsen burner.
The earliest English account of test tubes, and wooden test racks that hold tubes upright so their contents would not spill, appears in A System of Theoretical and Practical Chemistry (London, 1803) written by Frederick Accum, a German “operative chemist” who offered chemicals, books, lessons, and apparatus from his shop in Compton Street, Soho. Since Accum never claimed to have invented either form, we might assume that both were known to practical chemists and others who seldom discussed their work in print. Indeed, Accum may have learned about test tubes during his apprenticeship in a pharmacy in Hanover.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
CH.315121.061
catalog number
315121.061
accession number
215563
This object is a test tube made of Pyrex glass. The test tube is one of the most commonly used pieces of laboratory ware.
Description (Brief)
This object is a test tube made of Pyrex glass. The test tube is one of the most commonly used pieces of laboratory ware. Test tubes are the perfect shape and size to hold small amounts of substances, usually liquid, which are then manipulated in some way, such as being placed over the flame of a Bunsen burner.
Two renowned chemists, Jons Jacob Berzelius (1779–1848) and Michael Faraday (1791–1867), have been suggested as the inventor of the test tube. Berzelius describes the more robust cousin of the test tube, the boiling tube, in an 1814 article. Faraday mentions that small glass tubes would make a useful vessel for test reactions in his 1827 book, Chemical Manipulation. Either way, the test tube likely has its origins in the early 19th century, as the form does not seem to appear in 18th century chemistry sets. Instead, earlier texts suggest carrying out test reactions in wine glasses.
Pyrex has its origins in the early 1910s, when American glass company Corning Glass Works began looking for new products to feature its borosilicate glass, Nonex. At the suggestion of Bessie Littleton, a Corning scientist’s wife, the company began investigating Nonex for bakeware. After removing lead from Nonex to make the glass safe for cooking, they named the new formula “Pyrex”—“Py” for the pie plate, the first Pyrex product. In 1916 Pyrex found another market in the laboratory. It quickly became a favorite brand in the scientific community for its strength against chemicals, thermal shock, and mechanical stress.
This object is part of a collection donated by Barbara Keppel, wife of C. Robert Keppel. Robert Keppel taught at the University of Nebraska-Omaha after receiving his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, and his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from M.I.T. The glassware in the Keppel collection covers the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Sources:
Dyer, Davis. The Generations of Corning: The Life and Times of a Global Corporation. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.
Jackson, Catherine M. “The ‘Wonderful Properties of Glass’: Liebig’s Kaliapparat and the Practice of Chemistry in Glass.” Isis 106, no. 1 (2015): 43–69. doi:10.1086/681036.
Jensen, William B. “Michael Faraday and the Art and Science of Chemical Manipulation.” Bulletin for the History of Chemistry, no. 11 (1991): 65–76.
Jensen, William B. “The Origin of Pyrex.” Journal of Chemical Education 83, no. 5 (2006): 692. doi:10.1021/ed083p692.
Kraissl, F. “A History of the Chemical Apparatus Industry.” Journal of Chemical Education 10, no. 9 (1933): 519. doi:10.1021/ed010p519.
National Museum of American History Accession File #1985.0311
“University of Nebraska Omaha.” 2015. Accessed May 4. http://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-arts-and-sciences/chemistry/student-opportunities/scholarships.php.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1931-1985
maker
Corning Incorporated
ID Number
1985.0311.414
catalog number
1985.0311.414
accession number
1985.0311
This object is a test tube made of Pyrex glass. The test tube is one of the most commonly used pieces of laboratory ware.
Description (Brief)
This object is a test tube made of Pyrex glass. The test tube is one of the most commonly used pieces of laboratory ware. Test tubes are the perfect shape and size to hold small amounts of substances, usually liquid, which are then manipulated in some way, such as being placed over the flame of a Bunsen burner.
Two renowned chemists, Jons Jacob Berzelius (1779–1848) and Michael Faraday (1791–1867), have been suggested as the inventor of the test tube. Berzelius describes the more robust cousin of the test tube, the boiling tube, in an 1814 article. Faraday mentions that small glass tubes would make a useful vessel for test reactions in his 1827 book, Chemical Manipulation. Either way, the test tube likely has its origins in the early 19th century, as the form does not seem to appear in 18th century chemistry sets. Instead, earlier texts suggest carrying out test reactions in wine glasses.
Pyrex has its origins in the early 1910s, when American glass company Corning Glass Works began looking for new products to feature its borosilicate glass, Nonex. At the suggestion of Bessie Littleton, a Corning scientist’s wife, the company began investigating Nonex for bakeware. After removing lead from Nonex to make the glass safe for cooking, they named the new formula “Pyrex”—“Py” for the pie plate, the first Pyrex product. In 1916 Pyrex found another market in the laboratory. It quickly became a favorite brand in the scientific community for its strength against chemicals, thermal shock, and mechanical stress.
This object is part of a collection donated by Barbara Keppel, wife of C. Robert Keppel. Robert Keppel taught at the University of Nebraska-Omaha after receiving his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, and his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from M.I.T. The glassware in the Keppel collection covers the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Sources:
Dyer, Davis. The Generations of Corning: The Life and Times of a Global Corporation. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.
Jackson, Catherine M. “The ‘Wonderful Properties of Glass’: Liebig’s Kaliapparat and the Practice of Chemistry in Glass.” Isis 106, no. 1 (2015): 43–69. doi:10.1086/681036.
Jensen, William B. “Michael Faraday and the Art and Science of Chemical Manipulation.” Bulletin for the History of Chemistry, no. 11 (1991): 65–76.
Jensen, William B. “The Origin of Pyrex.” Journal of Chemical Education 83, no. 5 (2006): 692. doi:10.1021/ed083p692.
Kraissl, F. “A History of the Chemical Apparatus Industry.” Journal of Chemical Education 10, no. 9 (1933): 519. doi:10.1021/ed010p519.
National Museum of American History Accession File #1985.0311
“University of Nebraska Omaha.” 2015. Accessed May 4. http://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-arts-and-sciences/chemistry/student-opportunities/scholarships.php.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1931-1985
maker
Corning Incorporated
ID Number
1985.0311.419
catalog number
1985.0311.419
accession number
1985.0311

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