Albert Michelson's Harmonic Analyzer (2014) [pdf]

engineerguy.com

34 points·o4c··4 comments

Awesome. I'd love to know more about instrument making techniques of the era -- especially for precisely calibrated analog computing applications like this. I know that by the 1890s machine tools were commercially available (e.g. Brown and Sharpe Manufacturing were incorporated in 1868 and were operating earlier[1, preface]) but presumably precision instrument makers evolved from clockmakers -- using hand tool techniques perfected much earlier. (Obligatory link to ClickSpring [2])

[1] https://archive.org/details/practicaltreati00cogoog/page/n8/...

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRXI9KLImC4&list=PLZioPDnFPN...

Not exactly what you are looking for, but you may still want to take a look at Moore's /Foundations of Mechanical Accuracy/. IIRC, it contains a section on the evolution of machining since the early 1800s and covers the transition between the making of parts made to fit together, to parts made to specs.

BTW, in later parts of the book, Michelson appears as interferometry is used to check the accuracy of parts.

YT playlist on Albert michelson's harmonic analyzer by engineerguy(2014):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAsM30MAHLg&list=PL0INsTTU1k...

Men like Albert Michelson and Dayton Miller are so sorely missed today. Minds such as these have not existed for a century.

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