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XIV.36 Kinnersley electrometer
Inventor:Ebenezer Kinnersley
Maker: unknown
Place:English?
Date:late 18th cent.
Materials:brass, glass
Dimensions:total height 275 mm
Current inventory:421
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Electrometer, probably English-made, consisting of a glass tube with brass fittings and two electrodes, of which the upper is adjustable. A glass capillary tube is attached to the side. This is a simplified version of Ebenezer Kinnersley's "electrical air thermometer," which he described to his friend Benjamin Franklin in 1761. Colored water was poured into the airtight cylinder. A spark jumping between the two electrodes heated the air, which expanded, pushing the water up the capillary tube. This gave a crude measure of the electrical charge. Provenance: Lorraine collections.

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