Burning lens of Ehrenfried von Tschirnhaus, the only instrument of his in Russia

In Russia there is only one instrument by the celebrated mathematician Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus (1651-1708): the burning lens from a device acquired by the Academy of Sciences in the early 1700s. Until 1947 the lens was kept in the museum of the Physical Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences.

Tschirnhaus's optical glasses and large concave mirrors (variants: Tschirnhausen, Tschirnhaus) possessed a high incendiary potential and were very well known in their day. Such instruments usually consisted of a large main lens and a small converging lens rigidly connected to it.

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September digest: archaeological finds, exhibitions, museums, theatre and the Church

In the finale of the Strugatskys' Roadside Picnic, the Golden Ball is told: "Happiness for everybody, free, and let nobody go away unsatisfied!" I do not promise to offend nobody, but the digest really does come free of charge. So, here is the main business of the

Frederic Leighton

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Burning lens of Ehrenfried von Tschirnhaus, the only instrument of his in Russia

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September digest: archaeological finds, exhibitions, museums, theatre and the Church

Frederic Leighton

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