Worden Gravimeter
notes: label: Description
content: Gravimeters (gravity meters) are extremely precise instruments that measure the earth’s gravity at a specific location. Gravimeters are often used by prospectors to locate subterranean deposits of valuable natural resources (mainly petroleum) as well as by geodesists to study the shape of the earth and its gravitational field. Differences in topography, latitude, or elevation—as well as differences in subterranean density—all affect the force of gravity. Commonly, gravimeters are composed of a weight hanging on a zero-length spring inside a metal housing to negate the influence of temperature and wind. Gravity is then measured by how much the weight stretches the spring.
label: Description
content: This is a display model of the original Worden gravimeter. Its central element, made of fused quartz, is an exact copy of the original, enlarged 5 times. The case and dials are slightly smaller. Worden Quartz Products, Inc., a Division of Ruska Instrument Corp., donated this instrument to the Smithsonian in 1967.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Agriculture
label: See more items in
content: Natural Resources
label: See more items in
content: Measuring & Mapping
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Worden Quartz Products, Incorporated
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: AG.MHI-P-9437
label: catalog number
content: MHI-P-9437
label: accession number
content: 272383
objectType: label: Object Name
content: gravity meter, Worden
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall: 54 cm x 27 cm x 27 cm; 21 1/4 in x 10 5/8 in x 10 5/8 in