Wimshurst-type influence machine
date: label: date made
content: ca 1890
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: Manufacturers designed some influence machines, like this one, to generate very high voltages for use in experiments and to power early x-ray devices. This Wimshurst-type machine was made in England by the firm Newton & Co., at 3 Fleet Street, London and features eight glass plates arranged in four pairs. Each plate in a pair rotated in opposite directions.
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 Princeton University, Department of Physics, thru Frank Shoemaker
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: EM.330579
label: catalog number
content: 330579
label: accession number
content: 299612
objectType: label: Object Name
content: electrostatic generator
label: Object Name
content: influence machine
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall: 38 in x 42 in x 25 1/2 in; 96.52 cm x 106.68 cm x 64.77 cm