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Description

The occurrence of a heavy 'ground-swell' on the coast in perfectly calm weather suggested to Whitehouse the possibility of atmospheric waves or pulsations accompanying a gale being propagated to a considerable distance (irrespective of any horizontal movement of air), and giving evidence of the disturbance existing elsewhere. It was seen that, even if such were the case, it would be difficult to obtain proof of it, as any ordinary observations would fail to detect it, and that it could only be attained by the adoption of a system of continuous record specially adapted to the purpose. Whitehouse describes the instrument he has designed for this purpose, which he calls a barograph. The action of the instrument depends upon the flow of water between two hydraulic chambers (connected by a tube or siphon), one of which is open and exposed to atmospheric pressure, the other closed at top, and removed from such pressure, being in pneumatic connection with the buried air chamber. Any difference in the levels of the water in these two chambers is a measure of the variation of pressure producing it, and the water in its flow is made to move the tracing-point or pen across the paper.

Marked on front as 'Archives 1871'. Includes two figures of the instrument and charts showing its readings of atmospheric pressure.

Subject: Engineering / Scientific apparatus and equipment

Received 8 May 1871. Read 25 May 1871. Communicated by R H [Robert Henry] Scott.

Whilst the Royal Society declined to publish this paper in full, an abstract of the paper was published in volume 19 of the Proceedings of the Royal Society as 'On a new instrument for recording minute variations of atmospheric pressure'.

Reference number
AP/53/9
Earliest possible date
1871
Physical description
Ink and graphite pencil on paper
Page extent
30 pages
Format
Drawing
Manuscript

Creator name

Edward Orange Wildman Whitehouse

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Citation

Edward Orange Wildman Whitehouse, Unpublished paper, 'On a new instrument for recording minute variations of atmospheric pressure' by [Edward Orange] Wildman Whitehouse, 1871, AP/53/9, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/ap_53_9/unpublished-paper-on-a-new-instrument-for-recording-minute-variations-of-atmospheric-pressure-by-edward-orange-wildman-whitehouse, accessed on 06 February 2025

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    Dates: 1768-1989

    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.

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