HYGROMETER (Gr. hypos, moist, L Tpov, a measure)

This article appears in Volume V14, Page 175 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: HOR-I25

HYGROMETER (Gr. hypos, moist, L Tpov, a measure) , an

instrument

INSTRUMENT (Lat. instrumentum, from insincere, to build up, furnish, arrange, prepare)

for measuring the absolute or relative amount of moisture in the atmosphere; an

instrument

INSTRUMENT (Lat. instrumentum, from insincere, to build up, furnish, arrange, prepare)

which only qualitatively determines changes in the humidity is termed a " hygroscope." The earlier

instruments

INSTRUMENTS

generally depended for their action on the contraction or extension of substances when exposed to varying degrees of moisture; catgut,

hair

HAIR (a word common to Teutonic languages)

, twisted cords and wooden laths, all of which

contract

with an increase in the humidity and vice versa, being the most favoured materials. The

familiar

FAMILIAR (through the Fr. familier, from Lat. familiaris, of or belonging to the familia, family)

" weather

house

HOUSE
HOUSE (O. Eng. hiss, a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. Dut. huis, Ger. Haus; in
Gothic
- GOTHIC
it is only found in gudhiss, a temple; it may be ultimately connected with the root of " hide," conceal)

" exemplifies this property. This toy consists of a

house

HOUSE
HOUSE (O. Eng. hiss, a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. Dut. huis, Ger. Haus; in
Gothic
- GOTHIC
it is only found in gudhiss, a temple; it may be ultimately connected with the root of " hide," conceal)

provided with two doors, through which either a man or woman appears according as the weather is about to be wet or fine. This action is effected by fixing a catgut

thread

THREAD (0. Eng. praed, literally, that which is twisted, prawan, to twist, to throw, cf. " throwster," a silk-winder, Ger. drehen, to twist, turn, Du. draad, Ger. Draht, thread, wire)

to the base on which the figures are mounted, in such a manner that contraction of the

thread

THREAD (0. Eng. praed, literally, that which is twisted, prawan, to twist, to throw, cf. " throwster," a silk-winder, Ger. drehen, to twist, turn, Du. draad, Ger. Draht, thread, wire)

rotates the figures so
that the man appears and extension so that the woman appears.
Many of the early forms are described in C.

Hutton

, Math. and Phil. Dictionary (1815). The modern

instruments

INSTRUMENTS

, which utilize other principles, are described in METEOROLOGY : H. Methods and Apparatus.

End of Article: HYGROMETER (Gr. hypos, moist, L Tpov, a measure)

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