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Protractor
Unsigned
Late 16th century; English
Brass; 90 mm in diameter
One side of the instrument is engraved on the rim with a scale of degrees divided to 10, to 5 and to 1 degree, numbered from 10 to 360 by 10 starting from north. The initials of the cardinal points are engraved 'N', 'E', 'S'. On the east side is a circular slot. The inner side of the slot is engraved on the rim with a sexagesimal scale, divided to 5, to 1, to 1/2 and to 1/4 (sexagesimal) degrees, numbered from 5 to 60 by 5. The opposite half of the protractor has a rectangular shape parallel to the east-west line. It is engraved with a scale divided to 1 and to 1/2, numbered from 9 to 1 by 1 from the centre to the outside of the protractor. Another rectangular slot is hollowed adjacent to the north-south line and two lugs help locating the centre of the protractor.The other side of the protractor is engraved in a similar way but does not have the graduation in degrees on the rim. There are, however, faint traces of division. The inner circle of sexagesimal degrees is numbered by 5 from 65 to 120. Ilaria Meliconi
Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza, Firenze
Inventory no. 613
© Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza, Firenze. All rights reserved. Information and images provided here may not be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the museum.
Basic URL: http://www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/epact/catalogue.php?ENumber=40586 |
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