Science
Type K-2 potentiometer
Description
This potentiometer is housed in a wood case with a removable lid. The instrument’s top has three small knobs on the left, a central knob that turns from 0 to 1.5 in increments of 0.1, and a sliding wire mechanism that takes up most of the right side of the instrument. There is a scale on a glass window that abuts the sliding wire mechanism. There are three knobs on the right side panel, and 15 binding posts on the back side panel.
Potentiometers are instruments that measure the voltage (or potential difference) in a circuit by measuring an unknown voltage with a known one from a standard cell (a battery that produced a known and stable voltage). Slide wire instruments like this one have a slide wire inside of them with a uniform resistance. By adjusting the slide wire (which is connected to a battery), the user can measure electromotive force (EMF). This instrument was used in MIT’s Biology department, where it likely was used as a teaching instrument to measure pH values and temperature (when used with a thermocouple).
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