General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

1

Total Parts

1

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

Bronze.

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

8.1 cm

Width

2.1 cm

Height

2.1 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Exploration and Survey

Category

Survey equipment

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

Unknown

Country

Unknown

State/Province

Unknown

City

Unknown

Context

Country

Unknown

State/Province

Unknown

Period

Unknown

Canada

Part of the George Petrovic Collection of Scientific Instruments. George Petrovic was born in Yugoslavia and lived in Serbia and Montreal. Dr. Petrovic studied, practised, and taught architecture, held a doctorate in technical science, and was a member of the International Committee for Historical Metrology, in Basil, Switzerland. The collection of tools, which is international in scope and importance, includes rules, compasses, plumb bobs, levels and dividers that date from the 12th to the 20th centuries. This collection provides a base for research in the science of measurement and a context for measuring tools used both in and outside of Canada.

Function

Suspended from an instrument by means of a line, a plumb bob is used to determine the instrument's vertical centre or perpendicularity.

Technical

Design suggests that it might either be Spanish or Moorish in origin. The plumb bob has remained relatively unchanged since antiquity. Though it can be made out of different materials and its shape may vary, the principle remains the same: a symmetrical weight is suspended from its broad end on a cord or a chain. One notable change to plumb bobs came during the industrial revolution, when the development of metal lathes allowed metal bobs to be more symmetrical, smooth, and aerodynamic. This artifact is an example of a plumb bob made before the development of the metal lathe.

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

None.

Missing

None apparent

Finish

Not solid. Consists of 4 arms.

Decoration

Cone shaped, tapering to the point. Arms beaded.