Instruments of Science

"Who invented the ""gas chromatograph?" * How has the telescope evolved? * What is the difference between an eastern abacus and a western abacus? * What does a galvanometer do? * What is the effect of gas testing technology on instrument costs?
Provides thousands of quick answers
This authoritative reference covers 325 scientific instruments ranging from antiquity to the present and from the mundane to the most sophisticated. Entries explain how the instruments work, and trace their invention, development, distribution, and use. They consider the cost of instruments, and their effects on society at large. And they are illustrated and provided with bibliographies.
A valuable guide for collectors, dealers, and curators
The "Encyclopedia" provides an in-depth coverage of traditional instruments, and so will be a valuable guide for collectors, dealers, and curators, who appreciate the beauty and history of these instruments. By its attention to 20th-century devices and disciplines, the "Encyclopedia "also opens new ground, and so will be particularly valuable to students and scholars of modern science and technology. Reflecting contemporary practice, it examines instruments used for testing and monitoring as well as those used for research, and even considers a number of widely used laboratory organisms (such as "drosophila" and "e. coli)" as instruments.
The work of distinguished experts
The"Encyclopedia" is published in association with two of the world's leading museums, the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., and the Science Museum in London. The advisory panel includes scholars from the United States, Europe, and Australia, all known for their distinguished careers in museums, universities, and industry. Over 220 authors-including expert scientists, instrument designers, and historians from more than a dozen countries-have brought together information scattered in numerous primary sources and specialized studies written in many languages.
SPECIAL FEATURES: Presents 325 entries by over 220 experts * Explores a wide range of instruments from antiquity to the present * The first reference work to examine instrument innovations, applications, and costs * Text enriched with illustrations and bibliographies * A name and subject index helps you pinpoint information quickly and easily.