What are the Magdeburg hemispheres?

What are the Magdeburg hemispheres?

They are now known as the Magdeburg hemispheres, and they still work as a great demo to this day. Curiously, the hemispheres are not named for a person, but a place: Magdeburg, Germany.

Are Magdeburg hemispheres suction cups?

We could say that the Magdeburg hemispheres are an early primitive form of suction cup (though suction cups apparently have a history that goes back much further)! A good set of Magdeburg hemispheres, however, can provide suction forces significantly stronger, as Guericke’s original horsepower demonstration shows.

What are the original Magdeburg hemispheres and Guericke’s vacuum pump?

The original Magdeburg hemispheres and Guericke’s vacuum pump in the Deutsches Museum, Munich, Germany. The Magdeburg hemispheres, around 50 cm (20 inches) in diameter, were designed to demonstrate the vacuum pump that Guericke had invented.

What is a Magdeburg sphere and why was it invented?

When the rims were sealed with grease and the air was pumped out, the sphere contained a vacuum and could not be pulled apart by teams of horses. The Magdeburg hemispheres were invented by German scientist and mayor of Magdeburg, Otto von Guericke, to demonstrate the air pump that he had invented, and the concept of atmospheric pressure.

The Magdeburg hemispheres are a pair of large copper hemispheres, with mating rims. They were used to demonstrate the power of atmospheric pressure. When the rims were sealed with grease and the air was pumped out, the sphere contained a vacuum and could not be pulled apart by teams of horses in a famous first public demonstration in 1654.

What is the Magdeburg experiment?

The Magdeburg experiment is a delightful glimpse of the hidden and powerful atmospheric forces that are with us at all times. It is just as fascinating today as it was some 350 years ago!