Museo Galileo
italiano
previous
Virtual Museum
Three-bladders experiment
    • Setting:
      Room XIII
    • Maker:
      unknown
    • Date:
      second half 18th cent.
    • Materials:
      mahogany, brass
    • Dimensions:
      total height 1180 mm, base 580x370 mm
    • Inventory:
      3776
    • Three-bladders experiment (Inv. 3776)

Wooden frame with a base and two lateral uprights supporting a mobile cross-piece fitted with a brass nozzle. To the bottom of this fitting were attached a vertical series of three bladders communicating with one another. The lowest carried a weight resting on the base of the machine. When air was pumped into the bladders, they dilated, raising the weight. The instrument, designed by Jean-Antoine Nollet, demonstrated that multiple small-scale phenomena can produce a noticeable effect. Provenance: Lorraine collections.

Provenance
Related people