The past is always with us, not only the physics history that we revere and try to put into our classroom presentations. Two hundred years of teaching natural philosophy (physics) have left us a significant amount of physics history in the form of early apparatus. In this article, I will tell stories about how I have become involved in the study of early physics apparatus. Because of my website on Historical Physics Teaching Apparatus, I have fielded a series of queries since the year 2000: I have inherited this apparatus, what is it and how much is it worth? My students turned up this interesting piece of apparatus and think that they might use it in an experiment—what is it and tell me how it can be put into the curriculum?

1.
Thomas B.
Greenslade
, Jr.
, “
The acoustical apparatus of Rudolph Koenig
,”
Phys. Teach.
30
,
518
524
(
1992
).
2.
Thomas B.
Greenslade
, Jr.
, “
Apparatus for natural philosophy: Nineteenth century wave machines
,”
Phys. Teach.
18
,
510
517
(
1980
).
3.
Thomas B.
Greenslade
, Jr.
, “
Wire diffraction gratings
,”
Am. J. Phys.
41
,
730
731
(
1973
).
4.
Thomas B.
Greenslade
, Jr.
, “
Wire diffraction gratings
,”
Phys. Teach.
42
,
76
77
(
2004
).
5.
Thomas B.
Greenslade
, Jr.
, “
Alfred P. Gage and the introductory physics laboratory
,”
Phys. Teach.
54
,
148
149
(
2016
).
6.
Elementary Treatise on Physics, Experimental and Applied, Translated and Edited from Ganot's Ėléments de Physique
, 5th ed., edited by
E.
Atkinson
(
William Wood and Co
.,
New York
,
1872
).
7.
Benjamin
Silliman
, Jr.
,
Principles of Physics
(
Ivison, Blakeman, Taylor and Co
.,
New York
,
1860
).
8.
Elias
Loomis
,
Elements of Natural Philosophy
(
Harper and Brothers
,
New York
,
1858
).
9.
David A.
Wells
,
Natural Philosophy
(
Ivison, Blakeman, Taylor and Co
.,
New York
, 1st ed.
1857
/15th ed. 1873).
10.
Elroy M.
Avery
,
Elements of Natural Philosophy
(
Sheldon and Co.
,
New York
,
1878
)
and
Elroy M.
Avery
,
First Principles of Natural Philosophy
(
Sheldon and Co.
,
New York
,
1884
).
11.
A. P.
Gage
,
Introduction to Physical Science
(
Ginn and Company
,
Boston
,
1887
).
12.
The Smithsonian Institution's digitized catalogs can be found here
: <https://www.sil.si.edu/DigitalCollections/trade-literature/scientific-instruments/explore.htm>.
13.
The Greenslade website can be
found at: <http://physics.kenyon.edu/EarlyApparatus/index.html>.
14.
Thomas B.
Greenslade
, Jr.
and
Aaron J.
Owens
, “
Reconstructed nineteenth century experiment with physical pendula
,”
Am. J. Phys.
48
,
487
488
(
1980
).
15.
Thomas B.
Greenslade
, Jr.
and
John
Daffron
, “
Reproducing an early-20th-century wave machine
,”
Phys. Teach.
54
,
383
384
(
2016
).
16.
Robert T.
Lagemann
,
The Garland Collection of Classical Physics Apparatus at Vanderbilt University
(
Folio Publishers
,
Nashville, TN
,
1983
).
17.
Leland A.
Brown
,
Early Philosophical Apparatus at Transylvania College
(
Transylvania College Press
,
Lexington, KY
,
1959
).
18.
Thomas B.
Greenslade
, Jr.
, “
Collection profile: Visits to apparatus collections IV: Vanderbilt University
,”
Rittenhouse
16
,
109
120
(
2002
).
19.
Thomas B.
Greenslade
, Jr.
, “
Collection profile: Visits to apparatus collections II: Transylvania University
,”
Rittenhouse
14
,
107
114
(
2000
).
20.
Thomas B.
Greenslade
, Jr.
, “
Collection profile: Visits to apparatus collections I: Kenyon College
,”
Rittenhouse
13
,
115
122
(
1999
).
21.
Thomas B.
Greenslade
, Jr.
, “
Collection profile: Visits to apparatus collections V: The University of Mississippi
,”
Rittenhouse
19
,
16
26
(
2005
).
22.
Thomas B.
Greenslade
, Jr.
, “
Collection profile: Visits to apparatus collections III: Amherst College
,”
Rittenhouse
15
,
39
46
(
2001
).
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