Experimenting Collection (#6)

Prehistoric tools reconstruction. Theories on the techniques and methods used by prehistoric peoples are developed and tested by palaeo-experimenters

Flint knife, prehistoric reconstruction. Theories on the techniques and methods used by prehistoric peoples are developed and tested by palaeo-experimenters

Flint carving, prehistoric reconstruction. Theories on the techniques and methods used by prehistoric peoples are developed and tested by palaeo-experimenters

Making fire, prehistoric reconstruction. Theories on the techniques and methods used by prehistoric peoples are developed and tested by palaeo-experimenters

Prehistoric settlement reconstruction. Theories on the techniques and methods used by prehistoric peoples are developed and tested by palaeo-experimenters

Heinrich Beck, German engineer C014 / 0129
Heinrich Beck (1878-1937), German engineer. Beck studied at the Berlin Institute of Technology (TU Berlin). His inventions included powerful searchlight technology

Watt experimenting as a child, 1740s
Watt experimenting as a child. At right, a young James Watt (1736-1819) with his parents (James Watt and Agnes Muirhead) plays with a spoon upon the spout of a kettle

Discovery of radium by the Curies, 1898
Discovery of radium by the Curies, as depicted in a caricature published in the British weekly magazine Vanity Fair in 1904

Lord Rayleigh discovering argon, 1894
Lord Rayleigh working with argon, as depicted in a caricature published in the British weekly magazine Vanity Fair in 1899

Experimenting with tank tracks, WW1
Experimenting with tank tracks during the First World War. Date: circa 1915-1918

Science lesson, Northfield House School, Leicester
Two boys experimenting with test tubes at Northfield House Junior School, Leicester. Date: 1965

Mobile physics laboratory. Researchers unloading acoustic and other equipment from a mobile physics laboratory. Photographed in the Physics Division of the National Physical Laboratory, Teddington, UK

Early video phone system, 1930. Historical artwork showing the two-way television communication system demonstrated by Bell Labs on Manhattan Island, New York City, USA, in 1930

High-precision spectrometer. Researcher using a spectrometer that has been designed to give results with high accuracy and precision. Spectrometry is the analysis of the electromagnetic spectrum

Vertical collimator. Researcher looking through the eyepiece of a vertical collimator. This device is designed to narrow and focus light onto a particular point

Radiant matter physics, 19th century
" Radiant matter" physics. 19th-century artwork of physicists carrying out experiments on what they called radiant matter

Early radiography experiment. Historical artwork of a Ruhmkorff induction coil (left) being used to create a large electrical voltage across a Crookes tube (glass tube, upper right)

Haemoglobin blood test. Researcher using optical equipment to test for the presence of haemoglobin in a blood sample. Haemoglobin is the oxygen-carrying pigment that gives blood its red colour

Gravity Probe B satellite, artwork
Gravity Probe B satellite, computer artwork. The Earth (background) is shown warping a grid of space-time. The Gravity Probe B satellite is an experiment that was conducted by NASA

Early Soviet rocket research, 1933. This is the first Soviet mixed-fuel rocket launch. The rocket, GIRD 09, was launched on 17 August 1933, in the Nakhabino forests, near Moscow, Russia

Astronauts on the Moon. Computer artwork of astronauts and NASAs future lunar lander on the Moon. The astronauts are carrying out experiments and collecting samples to bring back to Earth

Tiling rocket, 1932
Tiling rocket in 1932. Reinhold Tiling was a pioneering German scientist who experimented with solid-fuel rockets. In 1931 he launched four rockets, which reached altitudes of up to 2 kilometres

Zucker rocket, 1933
Zucker rocket in 1933. Gerhard Zucker (1908-1985) was a German who worked in the field of rocket mail. His rockets were essentially hollow hulls with motors, of the sort used in fireworks attached

Model ship testing, 1953
Model ship testing. Researcher observing the sideways launch of a model trawler. Photographed in 1953, in the Ship Division of the National Physical Laboratory, Teddington, UK

Radio-controlled model tug, 1955
Radio-controlled model tug in a test tank being operated by a researcher. Photographed in 1955, in the Ship Division of the National Physical Laboratory, Teddington, UK

Ra-2 papyrus boat, Morocco
Ra-2 papyrus boat setting off from the Moroccan port of Saffi. It was on this boat that Thor Heyerdahl crossed the Atlantic, from Morocco to Barbados

Ra-2 papyrus boat in the Atlantic Ocean. It was on this boat that Thor Heyerdahl crossed the Atlantic, from Morocco to Barbados

Power supply experiment. Power pack (left) and oscilloscope (right) being used in an experiment to demonstrate rectification

Operation Crossroads atom bomb test, 1946
Operation Crossroads atom bomb test. Mushroom cloud rising from the Baker underwater atomic explosion carried out at Bikini Atoll, in the Pacific, on 25th July 1946

Operation Tumbler-Snapper atom bomb, 1952
Operation Tumbler-Snapper atom bomb test. US marines preparing to advance towards their objective following an atomic explosion at the Nevada Test Site, USA, on 1st May 1952

AC and DC power supplies displayed on the screen of an oscilloscope (centre). Direct current (DC, the straight line) is produced by the equipment at left, while alternating current (AC)

Delta wing aerodynamics. Vortices (right) seen streaming off a delta wing (left) during a water tunnel test. Air bubbles were used to visualise the flow pattern

Delta wing in a wind tunnel, 1964
Delta wing being inspected by a researcher in a wind tunnel. A delta wing is a triangular wing used on high-speed aircraft

Aerodynamics experiment. Researcher adjusting aeronautical equipment being used in a physics experiment. Photographed in the Aerodynamics Division of the National Physical Laboratory, Teddington, UK

Cathode ray tube. Image 2 of 2. Demonstration showing how a beam of electrons can be deflected by a magnetic field, as seen in television cathode ray tube (CRT) displays

Rheostat controlling current
Rheostat varying current in a circuit. A Rheostat (lower right), also known as a variable resistor, has a resistance which can be altered

Van de Graaff generator with an electrical spark (centre) crossing from the generators sphere (left) to a nearby metal object (right)

German rocket pioneers, 1932
German rocket pioneers. Klaus Riedel (white coat) and other members of the German spaceflight society (Verein fur Raumschiffahrt, VfR) at their testing ground in 1932

Galileo using a telescope, historical artwork. The Italian astronomer and physicist Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) is famed for his 1610 use of his telescope to discover the four largest moons of

Franklins lightning experiment, 1752
Benjamin Franklins lightning experiment. Coloured artwork of Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) and his 21-year-old son William, performing their famous experiment on 15 June 1752

Zenobe Gramme (1826-1901), Belgian electrical engineer in his workshop. Gramme was interested in improving the efficiency of electrical devices

Rumfords thermodynamics experiment. Count Rumford (1753-1814, centre), born Benjamin Thompson, was an Anglo-American physicist and reformer

Galileos pendulum observations, 1582
Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), Italian scientist, observing the pendulum-like swinging of a lamp in Pisa Cathedral, Italy, in 1582

Sergey Vavilov, Soviet physicist
Sergey Ivanovich Vavilov (1891-1951), Soviet physicist, in a laboratory at the Physics Institute. Vavilovs work in optics included his co-discovery of the Vavilov-Cherenkov effect

Vavilov and colleagues, Moscow, 1938
Sergey Ivanovich Vavilov (1891-1951, right), Soviet physicist, carrying out an experiment with colleagues in his laboratory

Evangelista Torricelli, Italian physicist
Evangelista Torricelli (1608-1647), Italian physicist, inventing the barometer. Torricelli worked on the dynamics of falling bodies with B. Castelli

James Joule, British physicist
James Joule (1818-1889), British physicist, measuring the heating in wires resulting from the passage of an electric current

John Stapp, US aviation researcher
John Paul Stapp (1910-1999), US aviation researcher, in a laboratory. Stapp pioneered the study of the effects of deceleration on humans

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"Unleashing the Power of Curiosity: A Journey through Centuries of Experimentation" Embarking on a thrilling adventure, a man fearlessly rides atop a steam rocket, pushing the boundaries of human exploration. Meanwhile, in 1954, scientists utilize a mass spectrometer to unravel the mysteries hidden within matter. The revolutionary BAC TSR-2 takes flight, embodying the audacity and innovation that come with daring experiments. In the 1840s, Simpson delves into uncharted territories as he meticulously researches anaesthetics, forever changing medical practices. Pioneering minds like Sir Frank Whittle revolutionize aviation by inventing jet engines while Gregor Mendel's groundbreaking work as an Austrian botanist lays the foundation for our understanding of genetics. At Berkeley in 1955 C016 / 8832 marks an anti-proton experiment where scientists collide particles to unlock secrets about our universe. Antoine Lavoisier and his wife stand side by side in their laboratory - two brilliant chemists who redefine our knowledge of chemical reactions. A fruit-powered clock serves as a whimsical reminder that even everyday objects can become tools for experimentation. Witnessing particle collisions reveals glimpses into unseen dimensions and unravels nature's deepest secrets. An early telephone depicted in historical artwork reminds us how Alexander Graham Bell experimented relentlessly until he successfully transmitted sound over long distances. And who could forget Louis Pasteur? This French microbiologist pioneers pasteurization techniques that save countless lives from deadly diseases. From steam rockets to microscopic discoveries, it has been at the heart of human progress throughout history, and is through these bold endeavors that we push boundaries, challenge conventions, and pave new paths towards enlightenment and innovation.