Robertson-Amsler Polar Planimeter
date: label: date made
content: ca 1900
name: label: maker
content: James L. Robertson & Sons
notes: label: Description
content: This chrome-plated instrument has a 5" pole arm with a small cylindrical weight at the end. The 7" tracer arm is adjustable and has an L-shaped tracer point, so that the point is offset from the arm. The measuring wheel is chrome and the vernier is brass. The instrument has no registering dial. A point extending from the carriage holding the measuring wheel allows the user to turn the planimeter vertically and use the other end of the tracer point. Compare to 1981.0301.01.
label: Description
content: Most of the leather has flaked off of the wooden case, which has green fabric on the bottom. The case is lined with burgundy velvet. The instrument resembles the Robertson-Amsler planimeter shown in <i>Hawkins's Indicator Catechism</i> (New York, 1903), 132. A worn instruction card (MA.302380.01) received with the object in 1972 describes it as an "averaging planimeter," which is how Robertson advertised the instrument in 1897.
label: Description
content: Hine & Robertson of New York City made steam-engine indicators and sold planimeters from the 1880s to 1897. The firm was then renamed James L. Robertson & Sons and remained in operation until at least 1910. This device is smaller than the Hine-Robertson planimeter described by Olaus Henrici.
label: Description
content: The instrument was received at the Museum in 1972.
label: Description
content: References: Advertisement for Robertson-Thompson Indicator, <i>Power</i> 17, no. 2 (February 1897): 25; John Walter, "More Information," <i>The Engine Indicator</i>, Canadian Museum of Making, http://www.archivingindustry.com/Indicator/sourceinfo.htm; Olaus Henrici, "On Planimeters," in <i>Report of the Sixty-fourth Meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science</i> (London, 1894), 515–516; "Hine and Robertson's Planimeter," <i>The Electrician</i> 26 (February 6, 1891): 432.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: New York, New York City
topic: label: Subject
content: Mathematics
label: Subject
content: Engineering
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Mathematics
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content: Planimeters
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content: Science & Mathematics
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of R. J. Russell
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MA.333766
label: accession number
content: 302380
label: catalog number
content: 333766
objectType: label: Object Name
content: planimeter
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: leather (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: cloth (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 3.7 cm x 20 cm x 5.5 cm; 1 15/32 in x 7 7/8 in x 2 5/32 in