Credit: ©The Royal Society
    Image number: RS.16993

    Pulleys on ships

    Date
    28 October 1691
    Creator
    Unknown, Artist
    Object type
    Archive reference number
    Manuscript page number
    p36v
    Material
    Dimensions
    height (page): 327mm
    width (page): 202mm
    Subject
    Content object
    Description
    Figure of a system of multiple pulleys called 'Runner and Tackle' on ships (now known as 'block and tackle'). This was described by Edmond Halley at the meeting on 28 October 1691. The drawing was made on the reverse of the rough notes of the meeting.
    Object history
    28 October 1691: 'Halley shewed the manner and use of the Pullies used on board ships for raising great weights, called a Runner and Tackle, he shewed that the Runner doubled the force of the Tackle, and that in all Tackles with two blocks the force increased as is the number of parts whereby the weight hangs, that is either double, quadruple, sextuple, etc. But with the Runner it was either quadruple, octaple or Doecuple, the force of the hand, or power acting' (JBO/9/60).
    Related fellows
    Edmond Halley (1656 - 1742, British) , Astronomer
    Associated place
    <The World>
       > Europe
          > United Kingdom
    Powered by CollectionsIndex+/CollectionsOnline