Science & Mathematics - Overview
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.
"Science & Mathematics - Overview" showing 1306 items.
Page 120 of 131
Engraved printing plate "Scolopax meridionalis, Zaporina umbrina"
- Description
- William H. Dougal (1822–1895) of New York and Washington, D.C. (after 1844) engraved this copper printing plate after drawings by William E. Hitchcock. The image depicts the Scolopax meridionalis (now Galinago shicklandii, or Cordilleran snipe) and Zapornia umbrina (now Porzana porzana, or Spotted Crake). The engraved illustration was published as Plate 35 in Volume VIII, Mammalogy and Ornithology, by John Cassin, 1858.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1858
- publisher
- Wilkes, Charles
- original artist
- Hitchcock, W. E.
- graphic artist
- Dougal, William H.
- printer
- Sherman, Conger
- author
- Cassin, John
- maker
- Peale, Titian Ramsay
- ID Number
- 1999.0145.415
- catalog number
- 1999.0145.415
- accession number
- 1999.0145
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Engraved printing plate "Ichthyology, Pl."
- Description
- William H. Dougal (1822–1895) of New York and Washington, D.C., (after 1844) engraved this copper printing plate depicting four species of fish documented by the U.S. Exploring Expedition. The illustrations were to be published in Volumes XXII and XXIII, Ichthyology, by Louis Agassiz. Dougal engraved 26 of the 28 plates for this volume which was never printed.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1849
- 1862
- publisher
- Wilkes, Charles
- original artist
- Drayton, Joseph
- graphic artist
- Dougal, William H.
- author
- Agassiz, Louis
- ID Number
- 1999.0145.435
- accession number
- 1999.0145
- catalog number
- 1999.0145.435
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Engraved printing plate "Ichthyology, Pl."
- Description
- William H. Dougal (1822–1895) of New York and Washington, D.C., (after 1844) engraved this copper printing plate depicting three species of shark documented by the U.S. Exploring Expedition. The engraved illustrations were to be published in volumes XXII and XXIII, Ichthyology, by Louis Agassiz. Dougal engraved 26 of the 28 plates for this volume which was never printed.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1849
- publisher
- Wilkes, Charles
- original artist
- Drayton, Joseph
- graphic artist
- Dougal, William H.
- author
- Agassiz, Louis
- ID Number
- 1999.0145.437
- accession number
- 1999.0145
- catalog number
- 1999.0145.437
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Safe-T mmArc Combination Compass, Protractor, and Rule, Group of Two
- Description
- These clear plastic instruments are roughly rectangular in shape, with a semicircular side at one end. A rotating disc is inset at that end. The disc has holes at distances of 10 to 19 mm from its center. The rectangular part of the instrument has ten rows of ten holes, at distances of 22 to 120 mm from the center of the disc. To draw circles, one fixes the disc at the center, places a pencil or other writing implement at the desired radius, and rotates either the disc or the rectangle.
- The semicircular edge is divided to degrees and marked by 20s from zero to 180 in the clockwise direction and by 20s from 10 to 170 in the counterclockwise direction. The disc is marked: SAFE-T PROTRACTOR ™. It directs students to look at the upper, black numbers for angles facing left and at the lower, red numbers for angles facing right. A scale of 11 centimeters, divided to millimeters, is along one edge, and a scale of four inches, divided to 16ths of an inch, is along the other edge. The lower left corner is marked: mmArc ™ (/) by SAFE-T ™ (/) #46110.
- One of the instruments is marked in the lower right corner: U.S.Pat#5,615,485 (/) "And Other Pats. Pend." It fits into a two-sided white cardboard of instructions. The bottom of this card has a label covering the mark: Part # 45759. The label is marked: Part # 46109. The card is also marked: Made in China.
- The other instrument is marked in the lower right corner: LaGrange, IL 60525-0692 (/) U.S.Pat#4,353,166 (/) "And Other Pats. Pend." It is still sealed in its original display packaging, which describes the object as model number 46111 and indicates it was manufactured in China.
- According to a company catalog in the accession file, Safe-T model number 45759 was the Safe-T Compass, so that mark on the instruction card is apparently a typo. Number 46109 was the mmArc that sold individually for $2.50 around 2000. Number 46110 sold in sets of 30 for $64.80 for classroom use. Number 46111 is not listed in the catalog but apparently was distributed to retail stores. Patent number 4,353,166 refers to a patent received by John S. Kettlestrings of Wheaton, Ill., in 1982 for the design of the disc. Patent number 5,615,485 refers to a patent received by J. Bruce Stoneberg, the president of Extra Measures, Inc., for the entire Safe-T Compass. For information on Safe-T Products and Extra Measures, see 2000.0160.04.
- References: John S. Kettlestrings, "Toy-Like Instrument for Drawing Circles" (U.S. Patent 4,353,166 issued October 12, 1982); Bruce Stoneberg, "Instruments for Drawing Circles" (U.S. Patent 5,615,485 issued April 1, 1997); accession file. See also Bruce Stoneberg, "Compass" (U.S. Patent Des. 378,359 issued March 11, 1997).
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1995-2000
- maker
- Safe-T Products, Inc.
- ID Number
- 2000.0160.06
- accession number
- 2000.0160
- catalog number
- 2000.0160.06
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Safe-T 45700 Bullseye Compass
- Description
- Like 2000.0160.06, this red and white plastic instrument combines a ruler, a protractor, and a compass. Unlike 2000.0160.06, this object is smaller, white instead of clear, and uses a slide instead of rows of holes for setting the radius of a circle. The semicircular (protractor) end is wider than the rectangular part of the instrument. It is marked in 15-degree increments in both directions, from 15 to 165 degrees, and divided to units of five degrees.
- Inside the arc is a small rotating disc. The rectangular ruler has a groove down its center that carries a sliding red plastic piece with two holes in it. This piece can be set anywhere along the scales on the ruler, giving the distance from the center of the small disc. Placing a writing implement in one of the holes and rotating the ruler while keeping the disc fixed gives a circle of the radius set. One of the long edges has a ruler 12 centimeters long, divided to millimeters. The other edge has a five-inch ruler, divided to 16ths of an inch.
- The back of the instrument is marked: U.S.Pat. # 5,615,485 (/) Other Pats. Pend. The back of the slide is marked: MADE (/) IN CHINA. The Bullseye Compass was introduced in 2000 and retailed for $1.99 in 2012.
- References: Learning Resources online catalog (accessed October 22, 2012); Ho Chan, "Adjustable Compass with Ruler and Protractor" (U.S. Design Patent 411,959 issued July 13, 1999); J. Bruce Stoneberg, "Drawing Tool" (U.S. Patent 6,606,796 issued August 19, 2003); accession file.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 2000
- maker
- Safe-T Products, Inc.
- ID Number
- 2000.0160.08
- accession number
- 2000.0160
- catalog number
- 2000.0160.08
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Electrotype of "Hu'petha"
- Description
- This electrotype of “Hu’petha” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Plate 28 (p.163) in an article by Alice C. Fletcher (1838-1923) and Francis La Flesche (1857-1932) entitled “The Omaha Tribe” in the Twenty-Seventh Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian, 1905-1906.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1911
- printer
- Government Printing Office
- author
- Flecher, Alice C.
- LaFlesche, Francis
- publisher
- Bureau of American Ethnology
- ID Number
- 2000.0207.066
- catalog number
- 2000.0207.066
- accession number
- 2000.0207
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Electroytpe of a "Carrying-basket in usual position"
- Description
- This electrotype of “Carrying-basket in usual position” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Plate 15 (p.37) in an article by David I. Bushnell, Jr. (1875-1941) entitled “The Choctaw of Bayou Lacomb St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana” in the Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 48, (1909).
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1909
- publisher
- Bureau of American Ethnology
- printer
- Government Printing Office
- author
- Bushnell, Jr., David I.
- ID Number
- 2000.0207.089
- catalog number
- 2000.0207.089
- accession number
- 2000.0207
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Electrotype of "Toshkachito holds a Choctow blowgun in shooting position"
- Description
- This electrotype of “Toshkachito holds a Choctow blowgun in shooting position” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Plate 20 (p.37) in an article by David I. Bushnell, Jr. (1875-1941) entitled “The Choctaw of Bayou Lacomb St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana” in Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin 48, (1909).
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1909
- publisher
- Bureau of American Ethnology
- printer
- Government Printing Office
- author
- Bushnell, Jr., David I.
- ID Number
- 2000.0207.091
- catalog number
- 2000.0207.091
- accession number
- 2000.0207
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Electrotype of "Incidents in the life of Jaw (drawing by himself)"
- Description
- This electrotype of “Incidents in the life of Jaw (drawing by himself)” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Plate 63 (p.392) in an article by David I. Bushnell, Jr. (1875-1941) entitled Frances Densmore (1867-1957) entitled “Teton Sioux Music” in Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin 61, (1918).
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1918
- publisher
- Bureau of American Ethnology
- printer
- Government Printing Office
- author
- Densmore, Frances
- ID Number
- 2000.0207.104
- catalog number
- 2000.0207.104
- accession number
- 2000.0207
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Electrotype of "Feathers"
- Description
- This electrotype of “Feathers” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Plate 81 (p.176) in an article by Alfred Vincent Kidder (1885-1963) and Samuel J. Guernsey (1868-1936) entitled “Archeological Explorations in Northeastern Arizona” in Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin 61, (1919).
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1919
- publisher
- Bureau of American Ethnology
- printer
- Government Printing Office
- author
- Kidder, Alfred Vincent
- Guernsey, Samuel J.
- ID Number
- 2000.0207.122
- catalog number
- 2000.0207.122
- accession number
- 2000.0207
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center