Amsler Type 2 Polar Planimeter Sold by Crosby Steam Gage & Valve
date: label: date made
content: 1880s
name: label: distributor
content: Crosby Steam Gage & Valve Company
label: maker
content: Amsler, Jacob
notes: label: Description
content: This German silver instrument has a 4" arm with tracer point and 6" pole arm with short cylindrical weight. The arm lengths are fixed. The tracer arm and pole arm are connected by a hinge and form a circle around the measuring wheel, vernier, and registering dial when the instrument is closed. The top of the pole arm is marked in script: Crosby Steam Gage & Valve Co. Boston. The top of the weight is marked: 16378 (/) 10 [square] in. A serial number is marked underneath the tracer arm and the weight: 10259.
label: Description
content: A wooden case is covered with black leather and lined with purple velvet. The top of the case is marked: CROSBY STEAM GAGE & VALVE C<sup>o</sup> (/) BOSTON.
label: Description
content: To measure the areas of diagrams produced by its steam engine indicators, Crosby imported and sold Amsler polar planimeters of types 1, 2, and 3. The presence of a registering dial and the screw thread on the post extending from the measuring wheel indicates that this example is a type 2. Planimeter expert Joachim Fischer dated this object to about 1882. Charles W. Batchelor (1845–1910), the father of the donor, used it in his work as one of Thomas A. Edison's chief assistants. For instance, between 1884 and 1888, he managed the Edison Machine Works, where a planimeter may have been especially useful. From 1888 to at least 1907, Crosby sold the Amsler type 2 in a case for $25.00. For information on Amsler and his invention, see 1987.0107.10. Compare to 1989.0305.01.
label: Description
content: This instrument was received by the Smithsonian in 1960.
label: Description
content: References: Crosby Steam Gage & Valve Co. Catalogue (Boston, 1888), 104–109; Crosby Steam Gage & Valve Co. Catalogue (Boston, 1900), 170–176; Crosby Steam Gage & Valve Co. Catalogue (Boston, 1907), 203–210; Crosby Steam Gage & Valve Company, <i>Practical Instructions Relating to the Construction and Use of the Steam Engine Indicator</i> (Boston, 1911), 43–46, 83–86; Craig Bliss, <i>The Crosby Steam Gage & Valve Co.</i>, http://www.crosby-steam.com/index.htm.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: Switzerland: Schaffhausen, Schaffhausen
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 Emma Batchelor
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MA.318485
label: catalog number
content: 318485
label: accession number
content: 233749
objectType: label: Object Name
content: planimeter
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: german silver (overall material)
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: fabric (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: case: 3.6 cm x 21 cm x 4.7 cm; 1 13/32 in x 8 9/32 in x 1 27/32 in