Description

From simple rulers to sophisticated gravitational wave interferometers, measuring instruments are ubiquitous in science. They are also central to the universal—and human—process of asking questions to help us understand the world. When we ask questions and observe phenomena, we use measuring devices—from technical instruments to simple pen and paper—to help us develop new theories or improve our understanding of existing ones.

These devices were all made to measure something. Whether it’s a purpose-built instrument that measures infinitesimally small changes in electric current or a commercially available clock that marks the passage of time, these instruments all quantify qualitative experiences.

However, the devices on display do more than measure. They reflect the concerns and motivations of the people who made them, the cultures in which they were made, and the theoretical predispositions of the people who used them. These instruments, which date from from the 1st to the 21st century, show that as what we choose to measure—or what we think is worth measuring— changes, so too do the instruments used to measure the world.