
3 3 c m
40cm
actual image size: 32cm x 25cm
Description
These were used by the famous scientific lecturer Dr Stephen Demainbray (1710-1782) to show the 'hydrostatic paradox' - basically the same demonstration as the 19th century 'Pascal's vases'. The vesels were filled with water. A balance beam was suspended above the apparatus with one arm carrying a piston which could move vertically in the container, and the other carrying a counter-balance weight in a scale-pan. The presure on the piston in all three vesels was found to be the same, since presure is dependent on depth and not on the volume of water present.
Image Details
Image Ref.
10192024
© Science Museum / Science & Society Picture Library