Images(3)

conical crystal solid in cardboard box

Datedated 1946

Inventory Number1998-1-1304

ClassificationCrystal

Subject

Maker Percy Williams Bridgman 1882 - 1961

Maker(Box) AKATOS Inc. 1879 - 1944

User Jefferson Physical Laboratory, Harvard University founded 1884

Cultural Region

Place of Use

Dimensions2.1 x 6.7 x 4.2 cm (13/16 x 2 5/8 x 1 5/8 in.)

Material

Accessorieswhite cardboard box wooden shipping crate

DescriptionCardboard box containing a single red crystal cone wrapped in cotton wadding.

Sample was found in a rectangular wooden shipping box with interlocking faces and a removable lid.

Signedtypewritten in blue and black on off-white label on lid of shipping crate in which object was found: AKATOS, Inc. / SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS AND LABORATORY CHEMICALS / 114-118 LIBERTY STREET NEW YORK, N.Y. / Special Handling / To__Jefferson Physical Laboratory__ / Address__Harvard University__ / __Att. Prof. Bridgeman__ Cambridge, Mass.__ / No.___ Value___

Inscribedhandwritten in black on front of shipping crate: Early Resistance circular black ink stamped on top of shipping crate: NEW YORK N.Y. / MAY 20 / 7 PM / VARICK ST. STA / 1990 handwritten in pencil on lid of shipping crate: 16 / 137x216 handwritten in black on lid ob white cardboard box: KRS-5 Cone / Crystal Section / Do not bother with / this. / NRL / July, 1946

Curatorial RemarksSimilar to 1998-1-1307. This object was found in a wooden shipping crate from AKATOS Inc. However it is unknown how many of the objects contained in the crate were originally from AKATOS Inc. The crate, labeled "Early Resistance" was most likely used by Prof. Bridgman as a storage container for samples and devices used in his early experiments on the effects of high pressures on the resistance of materials.

FunctionHigh pressure physics.

This sample was likely used in or produced by Prof. Bridgman's early experiments with high pressure apparatuses. It may have been used in experiments testing the high pressure resistance of substances given that the wooden shipping crate in which it was found is labeled "Early Resistance".The crystal may not have been used since "Do not bother with this" is written on the storage box.

ProvenanceFrom Jefferson Physical Laboratory, Harvard University.

Historical AttributesPercy Bridgman's experimental work at Harvard University consisted mainly in the production of very high pressures and the investigation of the effects such pressures have on the properties of matter. During the 1920s, most of Bridgman's experiments used high pressures between 12 000 and 20 000 atmospheres (12,000-20,000 kg/cm²). In order to produce such high pressures, Bridgman used a hydraulic press in conjunction with two pumps in order to produce the high pressures. See for example, 1997-1-1819a, b, c and d. During the 1930s, Bridgman increased the pressure, reaching between 30 000 and 50 000 atmospheres using two and even three hand pumps. Bridgman would put samples of various materials into a chamber of the press, raise the pressure inside the chamber, and then study the material samples or residues that remained afterward. He the effects of high pressures on the <i>specific resistance, temperature coefficients, volume, electrical conductivity, shearing strength, electrical resistance, density, tensile properties,</i> and <i>compression</i>. He studied these effects on all manner of substances from minerals, metals, and chemicals to plastics, glass and egg yolks. Bridgman hoped his experimental results would contribute to theories of the internal structure of atoms and molecules that were gaining attention throughout the first half of the 20th century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1946 for his research. Bridgman also did work on the synthesis of diamonds from graphite using very high pressures and temperatures. Early in 1941, the General Electric Company arranged a five year agreement with Bridgman to finance his experimental research in producing diamonds. Bridgman wanted to reverse a known process in which diamonds turn to graphite at atmospheric pressure and 1500°C. His experiments were conducted in the Harvard Geophysical Laboratory. However, Bridgman was ultimately unsuccessful in the synthesis of diamonds, and his continued research was interrupted by the outbreak of the Second World War.