-
1 Ramsden, Jesse
SUBJECT AREA: Mechanical, pneumatic and hydraulic engineering[br]b. 6 October 1735 (?) Halifax, Yorkshire, Englandd. 5 November 1800 Brighton, Sussex, England[br]English instrument-maker who developed machines for accurately measuring angular and linear scales.[br]Jesse Ramsden was the son of an innkeeper but received a good general education: after attending the free school at Halifax, he was sent at the age of 12 to his uncle for further study, particularly in mathematics. At the age of 16 he was apprenticed to a cloth-worker in Halifax and on completion of the apprenticeship in 1755 he moved to London to work as a clerk in a cloth warehouse. In 1758 he became an apprentice in the workshop of a London mathematical instrument-maker named Burton. He quickly gained the skill, particularly in engraving, and by 1762 he was able to set up on his own account. He married in 1765 or 1766 the youngest daughter of the optician John Dollond FRS (1706– 61) and received a share of Dollond's patent for making achromatic lenses.Ramsden's experience and reputation increased rapidly and he was generally regarded as the leading instrument-maker of his time. He opened a shop in the Haymarket and transferred to Piccadilly in 1775. His staff increased to about sixty workers and apprentices, and by 1789 he had constructed nearly 1,000 sextants as well as theodolites, micrometers, balances, barometers, quadrants and other instruments.One of Ramsden's most important contributions to precision measurement was his development of machines for obtaining accurate division of angular and linear scales. For this work he received a premium from the Commissioners of the Board of Longitude, who published his descriptions of the machines. For the trigonometrical survey of Great Britain, initiated by General William Roy FRS (1726–90) and continued by the Board of Ordnance, Ramsden supplied a 3 ft (91 cm) theodolite and steel measuring chains, and was also engaged to check the glass tubes used to measure the fundamental base line.[br]Principal Honours and DistinctionsFRS 1786; Royal Society Copley Medal 1795. Member, Imperial Academy of St Petersburg 1794. Member, Smeatonian Society of Civil Engineers 1793.Bibliography1774, Description of a New Universal Equatorial Instrument, London; repub. 1791. 1777, Description of an Engine for Dividing Mathematical Instruments, London. 1779, Description of an Engine for Dividing Straight Lines on MathematicalInstruments, London.1779, "Description of two new micrometers", Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society 69:419–31.1782, "A new construction of eyeglasses for such telescopes as may be applied to mathematical instruments", Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society 73:94–99.Further ReadingR.S.Woodbury, 1961, History of the Lathe to 1850, Cleveland, Ohio; W.Steeds, 1969, A History of Machine Tools 1700–1910, Oxford (both provide a brief description of Ramsden's dividing machines).RTS
См. также в других словарях:
gravitation — gravitational, adj. gravitationally, adv. /grav i tay sheuhn/, n. 1. Physics. a. the force of attraction between any two masses. Cf. law of gravitation. b. an act or process caused by this force. 2. a sinking or falling … Universalium
Europe, history of — Introduction history of European peoples and cultures from prehistoric times to the present. Europe is a more ambiguous term than most geographic expressions. Its etymology is doubtful, as is the physical extent of the area it designates.… … Universalium
George Biddell Airy — Infobox Scientist box width = 300px name = Sir George Biddell Airy, FRS image width = 240px birth date = birth date|1801|07|27 birth place = Alnwick, Northumberland, England death date = death date and age|1892|01|02|1801|07|27 death place =… … Wikipedia
primate — primatal, adj., n. primatial /pruy may sheuhl/, primatical /pruy mat i keuhl/, adj. /pruy mayt/ or, esp. for 1, /pruy mit/, n. 1. Eccles. an archbishop or bishop ranking first among the bishops of a province or country. 2. any of various… … Universalium
china — /chuy neuh/, n. 1. a translucent ceramic material, biscuit fired at a high temperature, its glaze fired at a low temperature. 2. any porcelain ware. 3. plates, cups, saucers, etc., collectively. 4. figurines made of porcelain or ceramic material … Universalium
China — /chuy neuh/, n. 1. People s Republic of, a country in E Asia. 1,221,591,778; 3,691,502 sq. mi. (9,560,990 sq. km). Cap.: Beijing. 2. Republic of. Also called Nationalist China. a republic consisting mainly of the island of Taiwan off the SE coast … Universalium
Earth Sciences — ▪ 2009 Introduction Geology and Geochemistry The theme of the 33rd International Geological Congress, which was held in Norway in August 2008, was “Earth System Science: Foundation for Sustainable Development.” It was attended by nearly… … Universalium
Sundial — A sundial is a device that measures time by the position of the Sun. In common designs such as the horizontal sundial, the sun casts a shadow from its style (a thin rod or a sharp, straight edge) onto a flat surface marked with lines indicating… … Wikipedia
Inventions in medieval Islam — A significant number of inventions were developed in the medieval Islamic world, a geopolitical region that has at various times extended from Al Andalus and Africa in the west to the Indian subcontinent and Malay Archipelago in the east.… … Wikipedia
literature — /lit euhr euh cheuhr, choor , li treuh /, n. 1. writings in which expression and form, in connection with ideas of permanent and universal interest, are characteristic or essential features, as poetry, novels, history, biography, and essays. 2.… … Universalium
education — /ej oo kay sheuhn/, n. 1. the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life. 2. the act or process of… … Universalium
