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Contact goniometer

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made in England

Contact goniometer
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A contact goniometer is a device for measuring the inter-facial angles of crystals. (Crystals of the same material always have the same angles between crystal faces.) This English example was made in the early 19th century.

The instrument (pictured in its leather case) consists of a brass protractor with adjustable steel arms to fit the angle between crystal faces, held together by a screw. The base of the protractor is signed 'Cary, London'.

French crystallographer, Rene Just Haiiy (1743-1822) proposed that the external appearance of the crystal's facets was a reflection of its internal structure. He used a contact goniometer of this type.

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