3 B S c i e n t i f i c ® E x p e r i m e n t s
1
UE101010
Spherometer
Mechanic s / Me a surement procedure s
OBJ ECT IVE
Determine the radius of curvature of various watch glasses.
SUMMARY
From the height
h
of a spherical surface above a point on a plane defined by the corners of
an equilateral triangle, the radius of curvature
R
of the spherical surface may be determi-
ned. This can be done for both convex and concave curvatures of the sphere.
E XPERIMENT PROCEDURE
• Measure the height of the curva-
ture
h
for two watch glasses for a
given distance
s
between the tips
of the spherometer legs.
• Determine the radius of curva-
ture
R
of both glasses.
• Compare the methods for both
convex and concave surfaces.
Quantity Description
Number
1
Precision spherometer
U15030
1
Plane mirror
U21885
1
Set of 10 watch glass dishes, 80 mm
U14200
1
Set of 10 watch glass dishes, 125 mm
U14201
required apparatus
