Museo Galileo
italiano
previous
Virtual Museum
Nobili's model of Ampère's theory of magnetism
    • Setting:
      Room XIII
    • Inventor:
      Leopoldo Nobili
    • Maker:
      unknown
    • Date:
      ca. 1830
    • Materials:
      brass, wood
    • Dimensions:
      length 160 mm
    • Inventory:
      3760
    • Nobili's model of Ampère's theory of magnetism (Inv. 3760)

Models made by Leopoldo Nobili to illustrate André-Marie Ampère's theory of magnetism. They are composed of ten disks painted white, with two arrows on the rim. The disks are threaded onto a brass rod terminating in a large ring. This model demonstrates Nobili's conviction that magnetism is generated by the action of electric currents. Provenance: Lorraine collections.