Société Genevoise Circular Dividing Engine
date: label: date made
content: ca 1911
name: label: maker
content: Societe Genevoise d’Instruments de Physique
notes: label: Description
content: Making precisely divided scales has long been important in navigation and experimental science. In the 1780s, the English instrument maker Jesse Ramsden introduced a screw-controlled circular dividing engine. This is a descendent of that instrument, made by a Swiss firm known as the Société Genevoise for the Carnegie Institution of Washington.
label: Description
content: The instrument has two circular tables above on an octagonal apron which is held in turn by three legs. It has four microscopes, an engraving mechanism, and two sliding prism scopes. Loose parts include a cover, two cylindrical rods, a cam and pulley with belt drive, a gear box and gear box cover, two motors, three weights, two fixture plates, a box of tools and attachments, and a second box of attachments.
label: Description
content: A mark on a plate attached to the table reads: MADE IN (/) SWITZERLAND. A plate on the object reads: SOCIETE GENEVOISE (/) POUR LA (/) CONSTRUCTION D’INSTRUMENTS (/) DE PHYSIQUE ET DE MECANIQUE (/) GENEVE (SUISSE).
label: Description
content: For related documentation, see 1987.0036.02 through 1987.0036.16.
label: Description
content: This instrument is quite similar to the circular dividing engine with number 00063 described in a Société Genevoise catalog for 1912.
label: Description
content: Reference:
label: Description
content: Société Genevoise, Pricel List 1912, Geneva, 1912, pp.18-21.
label: Description
content: Accession File.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: Switzerland: Genève
topic: label: Subject
content: Ruling and Dividing Engines
label: Subject
content: Mathematics
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Mathematics
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Carnegie Institution of Wasington, Department of Terrestrial Magnetism
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MA.328870
label: accession number
content: 1987.0036
label: catalog number
content: MA.328870
objectType: label: Object Name
content: dividing engine
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: wood (base material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal (mechanism material)
label: Physical Description
content: glass (cover panels material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 48 1/2 in x 59 1/2 in x 64 1/2 in; 123.19 cm x 151.13 cm x 163.83 cm