Name 1
BAROMETER - TORICCELLI’S
Name 2
/
ID number
002.394.Idrija
Manager / Administrator
Idrija Mercury Heritage Management Center, Bazoviška 2, SI-5280 Idrija
Ownership
Public
Owner
Republic of Slovenia
Local / Original ID Number
/
Type of Object
Daily life
Description
Short description
The barometer is a long glass tube, which is sealed at the top and has a curve and a small bottle, which is closed with a rubber plug, at the bottom. The tube contains mercury. The wooden barometer is installed on the self-standing wooden pedestal. The lower part of the pedestal is extended into a box, and the upper part is also extended, but only on the surface. This part has an attached measuring scale (in millimetres and millibars) with a movable pointed gauge on the cylinder slide.
Measures
Length 95 cm, width 6 cm, height 5 cm.
Materials
Wood, glass, rubber, mercury, steel.
Dating
Creation time is unknown.
Author / Producer
Manufacturer information is not known.
Picture attachments
Original use
A barometer is a physical measuring device for measuring air pressure. The first barometer of that type was invented in 1644 by an Italian physicist Evangelista Toricceli, who used mercury for the its production. Since the mercury density depended on temperature, the direct measurements of the pressure in millimeters of a mercury column was inappropriate for very precise work. This problem was avoided by introducing the Torr unit (named after Torricelli), which indicates the hydrostatic pressure of 1 mm of the mercury column at 0°C. Based on the calculation, it was determined, that 1 Torr equals 133.32 Pa (pascals). It was calculated with the analogue calculation, that the pressure of 1 atm has a value of 760 Torr (1 atm = 760 Torr).
Present use
The Torricelli barometer is being preserved, secured and presented as important mining heritage of Idrija with exceptional universal values. It is a part of the CUDHg Smelting Collection. Visitors can view it within the permanent museum display “From Ore to Mercury Drops” in the Hg Smelting Plant, which represents the characteristics and the versatile use of mercury in science, technology, medicine, culture and every day life. Within the exhibition the object is placed in the density segment and it represents the usefulness of mercury for technical devices.
Original location
Electrotechnical and Computer Technical School and Gymnasium Ljubljana.
Present location
Hg Smelting Plant (From Ore to Mercury Drops), Arkova 50, SI-5280 Idrija
STATE OF CONSERVATION
History of conservation:
The Torricelli barometer is well preserved. Additional interventions are not necessary. Security of the premise is taken care off.
Present state
good
Necessary activities:
Regular seasonal maintenance.
DOCUMENTATION
Addresses / collections / links etc. where further in-depth information is accessible:
- CUDHg Inventory Book.
Submitted
Mestni muzej Idrija
Submitted by
Miha Kosmač
Date Submitted
17. 3. 2018
Date Edited
Never