Octagonal Rule and Dividers Signed George Adams

Description:

This instrument is in the shape of a hollow octagonal prism. A pair of dividers (measuring 10.6 x 1.3 x 1.2 cm) screws into one end. One leg of the dividers may be removed and placed in a hole at the other end of the scale. A slide then moves the leg back and forth for use as a scriber.

A scale appears on each face of the instrument: inches (divided to 1/10" and numbered from 1 to 6); chords; sines; tangents; equal parts of 30, 25, and 20 to the inch; and "calibre." Many of these scales appeared on sectors; like those instruments, this object would have been used for surveying, architectural drawing, and artillery positioning.

The face with the calibre scale is marked: G. Adams LONDON. In 1734, George Adams Sr. (1709–1772) established a workshop on Fleet Street. From 1756 the firm fulfilled hundreds of commissions as instrument maker to His Majesty's Office of Ordnance. George Adams Jr. (1750–1795) took over the business after his father's death, with help from his mother, Ann, for the first couple of years. Although he retained the ordnance commissions, these became less profitable over time and the firm was in debt when he died. George Jr.'s wife, Hannah, sold the remaining stock and tools in 1796. Father and son both used the signature "G. Adams," so this instrument cannot be dated precisely.

References: Gloria Clifton, Directory of British Scientific Instrument Makers 1550–1851 (London: National Maritime Museum, 1995), 2–3; John R. Millburn, Adams of Fleet Street: Instrument Makers to King George III (Burlington, Vt.: Ashgate, 2000); Adler Planetarium, Webster Signature Database, http://historydb.adlerplanetarium.org/signatures/.

Date Made: ca 1750–1795

Maker: Adams, George

Location: Currently not on view

Place Made: United Kingdom: England, London

Subject: MathematicsSectorsArtilleryEngineering

Subject:

See more items in: Medicine and Science: Mathematics, Science & Mathematics, Trigonometry, Dividers and Compasses, Scale Rules

Exhibition:

Exhibition Location:

Data Source: National Museum of American History

Id Number: 1987.0379.01Accession Number: 1987.0379Catalog Number: 1987.0379.01

Object Name: rule and dividersrule, sectorialrule and dividers

Physical Description: steel (overall material)brass (overall material)Measurements: overall: 1.6 cm x 17 cm x 1.6 cm; 5/8 in x 6 11/16 in x 5/8 in

Guid: http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a7-2202-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Record Id: nmah_905196

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.