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LIST OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS AND THEIR USES

 

Scientific Insruments	Uses	Inventors
Altimeter	An instrument used in aircrafts for measuring altitudes	French physicist Louis Paul Cailletet
Ammeter	Measures electric current	Friedrich Drexler
Anemometer	Used to measure the speed, direction and pressure of the wind.	Leon Battista Alberti
Audiometer	Measures intensity of sound	Georg von Békésy (1899-1972; winner of the Nobel Prize), a Hungarian-American physicist.
Barograph	Continuous recording of atmospheric pressure	Frenchman Lucien Vidi
Barometer	Measures atmospheric pressure and conditions.	Evangelista Torricelli
Binoculars	An optical instrument used for magnified view of distant objects.	J. P. Lemiere
Bolometer	Measures infra-red (Heat) radiation.	Samuel Pierpont Langley
Callipers	Measures diameters of thin cylinder/wire.	Pierre Vernier
Calorimeter	Measures quantity of heat	Antoine Lavoisier and Pierre-Simon
Carburettor	Used for charging air with petrol vapours in an internal combustion engine.	The first carburetor was invented by Samuel Morey in 1826. Later, Enrico Bernardi developed another carburetor at the University of Padua in 1882
Cardiogram(ECG)	Traces movements of the heart , recorded on a Cardiograph	Willem Einthoven
Cathetometer	Determines heights and levels	French physicists P. Dulong and A. Petit(1816)
Chronometer	Determines longitude of a vessel at sea.	John Harrison
Cinematograph	Used for projecting pictures on the screen.	Auguste Lumière
Colorimeter	Compares intensity of colours	John T. Stock
Commutator	Used in generators to reverse the direction of electric current.	British scientist William Sturgeon in 1832
Crescograph	Used for measuring growth in plants.	Jagadish Chandra Bose
Cryometer	Measurement of low temperature.
Cyclotron	Used for accelerating charged particles in microwave oscillator	Ernest Lawrence
Dilatometer	Measures change in volume of substances	Abbe and Fizeau in the second half of 19th century
Dynamo	Coverts mechanical energy into electrical energy	Michael Faraday
Electrometer	Measures very small but potential difference in electric currents	William Snow Harris
Electrometer	Used for measuring electrical potential difference.
Electroscope	Detects presence of an electric Charge	William Gilbert
Electron microscope	Used to obtain a magnifying view of very small objects (20,000 times).	Max Knoll and Ernst Ruska
Endoscope	To examine internal parts of the body	Bozzini
Fathometer	Measures depth of the ocean	Herbert Grove Dorsey (April 24, 1876 – 1961)
Fluxmeter	Measures magnetic flux	Muller Martin
Galvanometer	Measures electric current	Johann Schweigger
Gramophone	Used to reproducing recorded sound.	French inventor Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville
Hydrometer	Measures the relative density of liquids	William Nicholson
Hydrophone	Measure sound under water	Reginald Fessenden
Hygrometer	Used to measure the moisture content or the humidity of air or any gas.	Horace Bénédict de Saussure
Hygroscope	Shows the changes in atmospheric humidity	Robert Hooke
Hypsometer	Determines boiling point of liquids.	Wayne R Norman
Lactometer	Measures the relative density of milk.	Mr. Dicas
Machmeter	Determines the speed of an aircraft relative to the speed of sound	Angst Walter
Manometer	Compares magnetic movement and fields	Otton von Guerick
Manometer	Used to measure atmospheric pressure
Micrometer	Coverts sound waves into electrical vibration	William Gascoigne
Microphone	Converts sound waves into electrical signals.	Emile Berliner
Microscope	Used to obtain a magnified view of small objects	Zacharias Janssen
Nephetometer	Measures the scattering of light by particles suspended in a liquid	Theodore William Richards
Odometer	An instrument attached to the wheel of a vehicle, to measure the distance travelled.	Benjamin Franklin
Ohmmeter	Measures electrical resistance of objects	Osvold Robert Harold
Ondometer	Measures the frequency of electromagnetic waves(radio waves)
Optometer	Used for testing the refractive power of the eye.	Dr Jules Badal
Otoscope	Used for visual examination of the eardrum.	E. Seigle
Periscope	Used to view objects above sea level (Used in submarines).	Hippolyte Marié-Davy
Phonograph	Used for reproducing sound.	Thomas Edison
Photometer	Compares the luminous intensity of the two sources of light	Dmitry Lachinov
Polygraph	It simultaneously records changed in physiological processes such as heartbeat, blood pressure & the respiration (used as lie detector)	William Moulton Marston
Pyrheliometer	Used for measuring Solar radiation.	C. G. ABBOTT
Pyrometer	Measures very high temperature.	Josiah Wedgwood
Quadrant	Measures altitudes and angles in navigation and astronomy	John Hadley
Radar	Radio, Detection and Ranging.	Heinrich Hertz
Rain Gauge	Measures Rainfall.	King Sejong the Great
Refractometer	Measures salinity of solutions	Ernst Abbe
Refractometer	Measures a Refractive Index of a substance.	Carl Zeiss
Sextant	Used by navigators to find the latitude of place by measuring the elevation above the horizon of the sun or another star; also used to measure the height of very distant objects	John Campbell
Sextant	Used for measuring angular distance between two objects.
Siesmograph	Used for recording the intensity and origin of earthquakes shocks.	John Milne
Spectroscope	Used for Spectrum analysis.	Robert Wilhelm Bunsen
Speedometer	An instrument used for measuring speed of the vehicle.	Croatian Josip Belušić in 1888
Spherometer	Measures curvature of spherical objects.	Robert-Aglaé Cauchoix
Sphygmomanometer	Measures blood pressure.	Samuel Siegfried Karl Ritter von Basch in 1881
Stethoscope	Used for hearing and analysing the sound of Heart.	René Laennec
Tachometer	To determine speed, especially the rotational speed of a shaft(rpm)	James W. Allen
Tangent galvanometer	Measure the amount of direct current(DC)	André-Marie Ampère
Telemeter	Records physical happenings at a distant place(space)	C. Michalke
Telescope	Used for magnified view of distant objects.	Hans Lippershey
Thermometer	Measures Temperature	Galileo Galilei
Thermostat	Automatically regulates temperatures at a constant point.	Warren S. Johnson
Tonometer	Measures the pitch of a sound	John Austin
Transformer	An apparatus used for converting high voltage to low and vice-versa without change in its frequency.	Ottó Bláthy
Transponder	To receive a signal and transmit a reply immediately in satellites.	Charles M Redman
Venturimeter	Measures the rate of flow of liquids	Clemens Herschel
Vernier	Measures Small sub-division of scale.	Pierre Vernier
Viscometer	Measures Viscosity of liquid.	Edward H Zeitfuchs
Voltmeter	Used to measure electric potential difference between two points	Andrew Kay
Wattmeter	To measure electric power	Ottó Bláthy
Wavemeter	To measure the wavelength of a radiowave(high frequency waves)	Paul D Zottu