0000000000667173
AUTHOR
Susanne Kiefer
Weighing Scales Manufacturers
The history of scales manufacturing and of some important existing scales workshops is summarised. A table presents the most important existing manufacturers and their company profiles.
Mass and Gravity
The book starts with a survey on the development of the concept ‘mass’ and of theories of gravity, beginning with Greek’s ideas on mass, Galileo’s experiments, Newton’s laws and their extension by Einstein’s theory of relativity. Data from measurements of the gravitational force on Sun, planets and the Moon are presented. Kepler’s laws on moving masses in the gravitational field are discussed as well as new discoveries on the expansion of the universe. Fundamental interactions of particles and particle/wave duality are described. The Theory of Everything is mentioned. The definition of the international unit of mass is reported as well as alternatives like watt or voltage balance, counting …
Documentation and Archiving
In this chapter a historical survey on the development of balances is presented, also in tabular form. The documentation of balance constructions in museums and literature is shown. The development of science museums, technical libraries, and societies which include balances is reviewed, and a list of museums which exhibit balances is given.
Balances for Special Applications
Some special applications and the corresponding balances are described in detail: laboratory balances, micro balances vacuum balances, thermo balances, magnetic suspension balances, oscillators, metrological comparators, tensiometer, suspended particles and elementary charge, mass analyser, density determination, particle analysis, magnetic susceptibility, post office and coin scales, body scales, and gravimeter. Vacuum equipment for balances, thermogravimetry, sorptometry, hygrometry, and moisture determination, gravimetric measurement of reaction kinetics, surface tension, ion traps, pyknometry, dust and particle concentration, grain size analysis are described. Gravimetric measurement of…
Balance as Symbol and Object of Art
The symbolic use of the balance is reviewed, covering mythology and religion, icons and arts, its use in astronomy and astrology as well as in literature and music. In Old Egypt many paintings show men’s height balances symbolically used for soul weighing. In Greece the fate balance was known. In the Roman Empire the symbolic use changed to justice fairness, and legitimacy of coins and this holds until modern time. In the Bible and the Koran fair weighing in trade are demanded. In the Book of Revelation the balance is symbol for misery. Michael archangel became guide of the deceased to the last judgement and weighed the poor sinner against his good deeds. In the witch balance the mass of th…