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Barometri novi descriptio

Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit · 1724

Fahrenheit's 1724 description of a new barometer that measured air pressure through the boiling point of water.

This is Fahrenheit's own paper describing a barometer he invented, showing his range as an instrument maker.

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Engraved plate titled 'Philosoph. Transact. N° 385' with eight numbered figures (I to VIII) of glass barometer and thermometer apparatus, including tubes, bulbs, scales, and stands, drawn in black and white.
Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit, Barometri novi descriptio, 1724. Philosophical Transactions, vol. 33, Royal Society, London.

About this source

What it is

This is a written work by Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit, published in 1724 in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, volume 33. It describes a new kind of barometer and includes an engraved plate showing glass apparatus with tubes, bulbs, scales and stands.

Why it matters

Fahrenheit realized that the boiling point of water changes with air pressure, so a thermometer could be used to measure pressure, just like a barometer. This shows that his instrument-making went beyond thermometers and that he connected different physical ideas together.

Look closer

  • What does the engraved plate's numbering of figures tell you about how this instrument was meant to be understood?
  • Why might a thermometer and a barometer measure related things?
  • What does this paper not tell us about how the apparatus was actually built or tested?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Daniel Fahrenheit on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Scanned page 1 of a 1724 journal article titled 'Experimenta circa gradum caloris liquorum nonnullorum ebullientium instituta' by Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit, printed in Latin with a page number '(1)' at top and 'Vol. XXXIII' footer.Document

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Experimenta circa gradum caloris liquorum nonnullorum ebullientium instituta

Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit · 1724

Handwritten cursive signature in ink on a white background: large looping initials D and G, with the surname written below as 'renheit' and a flourished 'Fa' to the right, forming Fahrenheit's signature.Document

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Fahrenheit's Last Will Signature

Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit · 11 September 1736

Printed page numbered 114 from a journal. Top text describes dog experiments with tinctures. Below a rule, a section heading reads 'VI. Materiarum quarundam gravitates Specificae' by D. G. Fahrenheit, followed by a list of metals and materials with specific gravity values.Document

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Materiarum quarundam gravitates specificae

Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit · 1724

Black handwritten signature on a white background reading D. G. Fahrenheit in flowing cursive script, with large looping initial letters and a long underline-like stroke.Document

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Signature of Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit

Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit

A bronze memorial plaque on a white wall with Dutch text reading 'In de Kloosterkerk werd begraven Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit', with birth and death details and a relief of a thermometer in the center.Artifact

Secondary source

Grave of Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit

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