South-Pointing Chariot Model
date: label: date made
content: 1962
name: label: maker
content: Folkard, Edward
notes: label: Description
content: This is a model of a Chinese South-pointing chariot circa 2698 B.C. – 230 A.D. The model is made of boxwood and was created in 1962 by Edward Folkard of London, England, for the National Museum of History and Technology (now the National Museum of American History). The mechanism is controlled through a boxwood mortise and differential gearing, and the little figure on the top of the model is removable.
label: Description
content: The south-pointing chariot was an ancient Chinese invention that functioned similarly to a compass, but instead of pointing north, could point south or any other direction it was programmed to point. The inventor of this mechanism is disputed, with different legends assigning its provenance to different ancient Chinese leaders. The device featured a system of gears connected to a pointing figure that could be set to point in any direction and would continue to point in that direction regardless of where the chariot moved. A differential gear allowed this to be achieved, which allows the outer drive wheel to rotate faster than the inner drive wheel during turns which allows the maintenance of traction and stability. Today, differential gear systems are used in wheeled vehicles such as cars.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United Kingdom: England, London, China
label: place made
content: United Kingdom: England, London, City of London
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Mechanical and Civil Engineering
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Edward Folkard
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MC.321851
label: catalog number
content: 321851
label: accession number
content: 245633
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Chariot, Self-Pointing
label: Object Name
content: "South Pointing Chariot", Model
label: Object Name
content: chariot, south-pointing
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall - from catalog card: 10 in x 4 3/4 in x 11 in; 25.4 cm x 12.065 cm x 27.94 cm
label: Measurements
content: wheels - from catalog card: 4 1/2 in; x 11.43 cm
label: Measurements
content: wheels: 4 1/2 in; x 11.43 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall: 10 in x 4 3/4 in x 11 in; 25.4 cm x 12.065 cm x 27.94 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall: 9 3/4 in x 5 1/2 in x 11 1/2 in; 24.765 cm x 13.97 cm x 29.21 cm