De Saussure Hair Hygrometer, 1815-1841
- Made:
- 1815-1841
- maker:
- Richard Joshua Harris and
- William Harris
- designer:
- Horace Bénédict de Saussure
This image is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Licence
Horace B?n?dict de Saussure type hair hygrometer by Richard Joshua Harris, 50 Holborn, London, England, in leather
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Horace Bénédict de Saussure type hair hygrometer by Richard Joshua Harris, 50 Holborn, London, England, in leather case, 1815-1841
In 1783, Horace Benedict de Saussure, a Swiss physicist and geologist, made the first hair hygrometer, using a human hair to measure humidity. This type of mechanical hygrometer makes use of the principle that organic substances expand and contract according to changes in relative humidity. The device was calibrated by exposing it to extremes of total saturation and dehydration, thereby establishing the hair's length at 0 and 100 % humidity respectively. Made by Harris.
Details
- Category:
- Meteorology
- Materials:
- brass (copper, zinc alloy), cord, sharkskin, steel (metal), textile, velvet and wood (unidentified)
- Measurements:
-
overall (in case): 30 mm x 100 mm x 245 mm, .16kg
- Identifier:
- 1983-1300
- type:
- hygrometer
- taxonomy:
-
- furnishing and equipment
- measuring device - instrument
- furnishing and equipment
- container - receptacle
- credit:
- Wellcome Trust
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Data in the title, made, maker and details fields are released under Creative Commons Zero
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