The History of the Barometer

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Originally published in 1964, this is the first complete world history of the barometer as a scientific instrument. The story begins with the prehistory of the barometer, the Torricellian experiment, subsequent experiments and controversies in the 1640s, and the barometric experiments of the remainder of the seventeenth century.

Later chapters concern the mercury barometer as a scientific instrument, discussing the various efforts to expand the scale, make the instrument portable, and attain greater accuracy. The final chapters consider other liquid, air and aneroid barometers and barographs.

Contents
PART I THE SCIENTIFIC BACKGROUND
1 The Prehistory of the Barometer
2 The Torricellian Experiment
3 The 'Extraordinary Effervescence'
4 Seventeenth-century Experiments and Speculations

PART II THE MERCURY BAROMETER AS AN INSTRUMENT
5 A General Survey
6 The Expansion of the Scale
7 The Search for Portability
8 The Corrections to the Mercury Barometer
9 The Improvement of Accuracy
10 Barometers of High Accuracy
11 Mercury Barographs and Related Apparatus
12 The Mercury Barometer in North America
13 Luminescence in the Barometer

PART III BAROMETERS OTHER THAN MERCURY BAROMETERS
14 Other Liquid Barometers
15 Air Barometers and Related Apparatus
16 Dead-weight and Elastic Barometers

Appendix: List of the More Important or Interesting Barometers Examined
Index

Details
ISBN: 978-0-948382-08-6
235 x 155 mm xx + 489 pp 197 illus.
£24.95 (hardback)
First published in 1964 and reprinted in 1968 by The Johns Hopkins University Press
Reprinted by Baros Books 1994

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