Whipple Museum of the History of Science facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Whipple Museum of the History of Science

The Whipple Museum of the History of Science is located on Free School Lane in Cambridge, England.
Established	1944
Location	Cambridge
Type	University Museum
Accreditation	Arts Council England accredited
Collections	Scientific instruments, apparatus, models, pictures, prints, photographs, books and other material related to the history of science
Visitors	11,845 (2019)
Founder	Robert Whipple
Owner	University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge Museums
Fitzwilliam Museum Kettle's Yard Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology Museum of Classical Archaeology Whipple Museum of the History of Science Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences The Polar Museum Museum of Zoology

The Whipple Museum of the History of Science is a fascinating museum at the University of Cambridge in England. It is filled with a huge collection of old scientific instruments, models, books, and pictures that show how science has changed over time.

The museum is located on Free School Lane in a building that used to be the Perse School. It opened in 1944 after a man named Robert Whipple gave his amazing collection of science objects to the university. The collection is so important that it has been officially recognized as being valuable to the entire world.

The Whipple Museum is one of eight museums that are part of the University of Cambridge Museums group.

What Treasures Can You Find Inside?

The museum's collection is like a time capsule of science. It has objects from the Middle Ages all the way to today.

You can see many items from the 1600s to the 1800s, especially tools made by English inventors. The museum has a wide variety of instruments used for:

• Astronomy: Tools for looking at the stars and planets.
• Navigation: Gadgets that helped sailors find their way across the ocean.
• Surveying: Instruments used to measure land.
• Drawing: Tools for creating precise diagrams and plans.
• Calculating: Early machines that helped people with math problems.

The museum also has a wonderful collection of sundials, mathematical instruments, and early electrical devices. Many of these items were once used by students and professors in the different departments of Cambridge University.

A Museum for Students and Researchers

The Whipple Museum is part of the university's Department of History and Philosophy of Science. This means it's not just a place for visitors to look at cool objects. It's also a place where students and teachers learn and do research.

The department has a library with many old and rare science books. Some of these books were also a gift from Robert Whipple, who was the chairman of a company that made scientific instruments. The museum's collection helps students understand the history of science in a hands-on way.

Visiting the Museum

The Whipple Museum is open from Monday to Friday, from 12:30 PM to 4:30 PM.

Gallery of Amazing Objects

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  An astrolabe from 18th-century Persia. This tool was used to tell time and figure out the position of the stars.

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  A compound microscope from the 1600s. It allowed scientists to see tiny things for the first time.

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  Part of a Difference Engine designed by Charles Babbage. This was an early type of mechanical computer.

See also

In Spanish: Museo Whipple de Historia de la Ciencia para niños

• Jim Bennett, a former director of the museum.
• History of science