Skip to content

Please be aware that some material may contain words, descriptions or illustrations which will not reflect current scientific understanding and may be considered in today's context inaccurate, unethical, offensive or distressing.

The Royal Society: Science in the Making

Unpublished paper, 'On the construction and use of a magnetic balance' by William Snow Harris

Reference number: AP/11/9

Date: 29 May 1825

Description

Harris writes about his design for a magnetic balance used to investigate the properties of natural and artificial magnets and to allow for a simple way of observing the action of one magnet upon another or upon a non-magnetic substance. Harris includes tables of data from his experiments with the magnetic balance. Includes two pages of illustrations.

Subject: Scientific Instruments / Physics

Written by Harris in Plymouth [Devon, England].

Reference number
AP/11/9
Earliest possible date
29 May 1825
Physical description
Ink on paper
Page extent
30 pages
Format
Manuscript

Creator name

William Snow Harris

View page for William Snow Harris

Use this record

IIIF manifest

View​ IIIF ​ manifest Opens in new tab

Open in Mirador viewer Opens in new tab

Export this record

Download PDF Opens in new tab

Citation

William Snow Harris, Unpublished paper, 'On the construction and use of a magnetic balance' by William Snow Harris, 29 May 1825, AP/11/9, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/ap_11_9/unpublished-paper-on-the-construction-and-use-of-a-magnetic-balance-by-william-snow-harris, accessed on 14 September 2026

Link to this record

https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/ap_11_9/unpublished-paper-on-the-construction-and-use-of-a-magnetic-balance-by-william-snow-harris

Embed this record

<iframe src="https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/embed/items/ap_11_9/unpublished-paper-on-the-construction-and-use-of-a-magnetic-balance-by-william-snow-harris" title="Unpublished paper, 'On the construction and use of a magnetic balance' by William Snow Harris" allow="fullscreen" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="500px"></iframe>

Hierarchy

This item is part of:

Related Fellows

Explore the collection

  • Archived Papers

    The 'Archived Papers' collection is comprised of original manuscript scientific papers and letters submitted to the Royal Society which remained unpublished or were abstracted in the journal 'Proceedings of the Royal Society' published from 1830 onwards.

    Dates: 1768 - 1989

    View collection