Micro-electrometer, after Pierre Louis Maréchaux — Teylers Museum

Micro-electrometer, after Pierre Louis Maréchaux

This instrument was devised by the German clergyman Pierre Louis Maréchaux and is meant for measuring an electric charge. A strip of silver leaf is suspended in the glass cylinder. Through the wall of the cylinder is a micrometer screw ending in a copper sphere. Before the measurement, the silver leaf and the copper sphere are placed on a distance of 0.51 mm of each other. After the upper and lower side of the instrument are connected to the poles of a battery (e.g. the voltaic pile ), the charge on the sphere will repulse the silver leaf. Then, from the large disk, you can read how many degrees the sphere has to be turned in order to touch the silver leaf again. From the number of degrees you can calculate how many millimetres the silver leaf has been displaced. This distance is an indication of the magnitude of the electric charge. Maréchaux used this electrometer to measure atmospheric electricity and for measurements on the voltaic pile.

Administration name

Fysisch Kabinet

Title

Micro-electrometer, after Pierre Louis Maréchaux

Translated title

Micro-electrometer, after Pierre Louis Maréchaux

Creator

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Object category

elektriciteit

Object number

FK 0542

Reproduction reference

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