An inventory of old scientific instruments in State Schools


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An inventory of old scientific instruments
in State Schools

Henri Chamoux

A work consisting in locating and inventoring old scientific materials has been carried out in schools for several years now. This project supported by the INRP provides an indication on the location of the devices as well as a full museum-like description of each of them through various photographs.

Today more than 1200 old instruments have been listed and described in full detail in 130 lycées and teacher training colleges over the whole territory. All this information has been gathered on a list with a view to making out a database. This work will shed new light on the development of scientific teaching from the 18th century to today.

Some of the located instruments are presented to you in the following pages: they have been classified according to the field of physics they belong to. Each field bears two designations : the first one is a reference to the vocabulary of science today. The second one is a reminder of the words used in last century inventory books of materials which were kept by physics teachers then in charge of laboratories.

- Access to films
- Access to instruments

Organ and accessoires for acoustics teaching - 1840 circa - Lycée Jacques Decour, Paris.

Two online films featuring scientific instruments !
Other films - in english - will be available in the future

- Silbermann's Solar illuminator (French version)
- Tinfoil phonograph (French version)

Image et montage : Jean Castejon Gilabert
Texte et script : Henri Chamoux
Son et voix : Luc Bernard
Copyright 2000 - mise en ligne avril 2008