Galvanometers and the many lives of scientific instruments

Abstract

Electrical measuring tools now epitomise ‘black-boxed’ technologies. Since the second half of the nineteenth century, ammeters and voltmeters have been developed that the user could apparently simply connect up to their electrical circuitry and read off a number giving them a measure of current or voltage. It seems that a clear majority of those who use electrical measuring instruments today lack any clear or detailed understanding of the theoretical principles and material designs inside the black boxes which they rely on so readily.