Discover Top Posts Tagged with #barometers

I seem to have a knack for finding barometers. Both now live on my desk.

#submission #thrifting #shiftythrifting #barometers #migraine detectors for your home

(re: research question) Thanks for answering! Well, the topic is barometers, Merryweather's leech barometer specifically. My issue I find is that it's not a topic like that of economics or politics, where statistics are very easy to involve. But rather a single historical object, and I'm not really used to writing around those.

It's really about how to balance the general history of barometers - their role in society, but also involve the object in question.. maybe it would be best to involve the general history through the use of Merryweather's barometer? To have it as an entry point to the subject? Does that make sense?

A very nice topic, you can start with the history of the barometer, what they were used for and how they were built. What led to the Merryweather barometer and what innovations did it bring, how long was it in use, where was it used etc.? You could use the historical context as a question here, what effect did the barometer have on science and what innovations did its successor bring. Which then made this piece not so useful anymore. You can work a lot with images here and create a great catalogue.

#ask #barometers

Pressure Units

-- most common unit of pressure is the atmosphere

-- an atmosphere is the average pressure at sea level

-- atmosphere is abbreviated atm

-- the SI unit of pressure is pascal

-- pascal is abbreviated pa

-- 1 Pa = 1 N/m^2

-- 1 atm = 101,325 Pa

-- millimeter of mercury comes from how pressure is measured with a barometer

-- millimeter of mercury is abbreviated mmHg

-- millimeter of mercury is also called a torr

-- 1 atm = 760 mmHg

-- 1 mmHg = 1 torr

-- inches of mercury is abbreviated in.Hg

-- pounds per square inch is abbreviated psi

-- 1 atm = 29.92 in. Hg

-- 1 atm = 14.7 psi

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The Tempest Prognosticator, AKA The Leech Barometer

Invented around 1850 by an English physician named George Merryweather, the Tempest Prognosticator was a device created for the purpose of predicting oncoming storms. What made the Tempest Prognosticator especially unusual was that it used live leeches, medical leeches in fact, which came from Dr. Merrweather's own supply. The Tempest Prognosticator featured 12 small bottles filled with water, each of which contained a live leech. The idea was that when a storm was coming, the leeches would be disturbed by the change in pressure or electromagnetic changes in the atmosphere. They would then climb to the top of the bottles attempting to enter a small metal tube, setting off a trigger which rang a bell at the top of the device. If several bells went off in quick succession then it can be assured a storm was on its way.

Dr. Merryweather spent many years promoting his device, claiming that it was highly accurate. He even lobbied the British Government to adopt the device and set up stations along the British coast. Unfortunately for Dr. Merryweather, the Tempest Prognosticator never caught on, especially due to the invention of modern barometers using mercury, alcohol, water, and other chemicals to detect atmospheric pressure changes. Such devices were more accurate, easier to use, and did not require the owner to raise and feed live leeches.