Hi!

I have a(n old?) barometer here, which has the words 'Holosteric
Barometer' on the front, and also lists the manufacturer(?): 'Ph van
Rooyen, opticien, Amsterdam'.

What exactly IS a holosteric barometer?


Regards,
Evert Meulie

"Evert" wrote in message
oups.com...
I have a(n old?) barometer here, which has the words 'Holosteric
Barometer' on the front, and also lists the manufacturer(?): 'Ph van
Rooyen, opticien, Amsterdam'.

What exactly IS a holosteric barometer?

.... I believe this is an alternative name for an aneroid barometer
(i.e., whereby the atmospheric pressure is measured by means of a
partially evacuated metal chamber (or series of chambers) which latter
respond to pressure changes and via a connection to a dial, this
indicates the value of the pressure (after calibration).
From 'holo' = whole, entire (in this case roughly "total") and 'steric'
= roughly pertaining to the 'arrangement of atoms in space'.

I believe this description was quite commonly applied to barometers of
this description up to the latter part of the 19th century, particularly
in France, Belgium etc.

Martin.

--
Martin Rowley
Bracknell

Thank you for the clear and swift explanation. :-)

I'm not sure if the barometer I have is actually 19th century, but I
guess it is possible...

For anyone interested, see the barometer he
http://photo.meulie.net/v/various/Holosteric_barometer/
(yes, I am aware that when I took the photo's the barometer was
registering an extremely low reading. The nearby airport reported 950
mbar...)


Regards,
Evert