George III's clockwork bell
- Made:
- 1761 in London and Fleet Street
- maker:
- George Adams
Brass clockwork bell with 2 hammers made by George Adams, Fleet Street, London, 1761.
This clockwork bell was made for King George III in 1761 by George Adams, very soon after he ascended the throne in 1760. It was part of Adams' pneumatics lectures and was intended to be used with the air pump.It allowed the demonstrator to explain how the presence of a vacuum affected the attendees' perception of sound. When the bell was placed in the glass chamber of the air pump and set ringing, the noise made by the bell could be heard. If the air was removed from the glass chamber, the noise made by the bell became fainter. In a container where the air was compressed, the bell remained audible but the strokes of the hammer were slowed down.
Details
- Category:
- King George III
- Object Number:
- 1927-1293
- Materials:
- brass (copper, zinc alloy), steel (metal), paper (fibre product), lead (metal) and incomplete
- Measurements:
-
overall: 175 mm x 100 mm x 110 mm, 1.55 kg
- type:
- bell, clockwork bells and demonstration equipment
- copyright:
- Unlinked Name
- credit:
- King's College, London