Paper, 'Description of an instrument for registering changes of temperature' by Balfour Stewart

Description

Stewart explains how it occured to him that advantage might be taken of the capillary action of mercury to construct an instrument similar to a thermometer, but in which the mercury should expand from heat only in one tube, and contract from cold only in another. Accordingly, a bulb was blown between two thermometric tubes of differently-sized bores, in such a manner that the tubes lay in one straight line, with the bulb between them. The bulb was then filled with mercury, and the tubes were hermetically sealed at both ends, having been first carefully deprived of air.

Marked on front as 'For the Proceedings'.

Subject: Meteorology / Scientific apparatus and instruments

Received 12 June 1856. Communicated by J P [John Peter] Gassiot.

Written by Stewart at Kew Observatory [London].

This paper was published in full in volume 8 of the Proceedings of the Royal Society as 'Description of an instrument for registering changes of temperature'.

Reference number

AP/38/32

Earliest possible date

10 June 1856

Physical description

Ink on paper

Page extent

4 pages

Format

Manuscript