Wimshurst-type influence machine
date: label: date made
content: ca. 1895
label: date made
content: ca 1895
name: label: maker
content: Waite & Bartlett Mfg. Co.
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: People from ancient times knew that rubbing certain materials and then touching something caused a spark. Studying what is called electrostatics laid the groundwork for understanding electricity and magnetism. Natural philosophers, scientists, and instrument makers created many ingenious devices to generate electrostatic charges starting in the 1600s. These machines varied in size and technique but all involved rotary motion to generate a charge, and a means of transferring the charge to a storage device for use.
label: Description (Brief)
content: Many early electrostatic machines generated a charge by friction. In the later 19th century several designs were introduced based on induction. Electrostatic induction occurs when one charged body (such as a glass disc) causes another body (another disc) that is close but not touching to become charged. The first glass disc is said to influence the second disc so these generators came to be called influence machines.
label: Description (Brief)
content: Waite & Bartlett was a Chicago supplier of scientific devices in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and made this Wimshurst-type influence machine around 1920. This machine was used for many years in the Physics Department at Oberlin College before coming to the Smithsonian in 1970. . Like many larger multi-plate machines, this one was difficult to disassemble and clean. The wood and glass cabinet slows the accumulation of dust on the plates.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Electricity
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content: Science & Mathematics
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: from Oberlin College, Department of Physics, thru David L. Anderson
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2002.0063.01
label: accession number
content: 2002.0063
label: catalog number
content: 2002.0063.01
objectType: label: Object Name
content: electrostatic generator
label: Object Name
content: influence machine
label: Object Name
content: static machine, Waite and Bartlett 40-4
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall: 41 in x 48 in x 27 in; 104.14 cm x 121.92 cm x 68.58 cm