Description

Rectangular instrument mounted on a plywood base. It has metal grids on either side, a chipboard box, and a compartment with a radio battery and a wax capacitor. There are several wires and electrical components attached to the battery compartment.

Tom N. Thiele, class of 1960, designed and built this thermoelectric dewpoint hygrometer which set a new standard for accuracy in measuring the dew point. His project was advised by Paul Gray with the input of Harold Eugene "Doc" Edgerton. The dew point is the temperature at which water droplets condense out of the air, and it varies based on pressure and humidity. Unlike other dewpoint hygrometers, Thiele’s invention was more compact and required much less power.