George Adams (c. 1709–1773) was an English instrument maker and science writer. His son George Adams, who carried on the business, was also known as an instrument maker and optician.

Life

He was the eldest surviving son of Morris Adams, a cook, and his wife Mary, and was baptized in 1709. He was an apprentice to instrument makers, James Parker who died, and then Thomas Heath. He went into business in 1734, in

Fleet Street Fleet Street is a street in Central London, England. It runs west to east from Temple Bar, London, Temple Bar at the boundary of the City of London, Cities of London and City of Westminster, Westminster to Ludgate Circus at the site of the Lo ...

, London.

Instruments

File:Geo. Adams microscope - National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo - DSC07195.JPG, George Adams

microscope A microscope () is a laboratory equipment, laboratory instrument used to examine objects that are too small to be seen by the naked eye. Microscopy is the science of investigating small objects and structures using a microscope. Microscopic ...

in the National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo File:George Adams sea quadrant.jpg, Sea Quadrant by George Adams, at The Mariners' Museum File:George Adams handwriting.jpg, Serial number, date, and signature from George Adams' quadrant, at The Mariners' Museum

Bibliography

Adams was best known for ''A Treatise Describing the Construction and Explaining the Use of New Celestial and Terrestrial Globes'' (London: 1766). There were later editions, but the claim of 30 up to 1810 is not now accepted. Other works were: *''Micrographia Illustrata, or the knowledge of the microscope explained'' (1746), which included "a translation of Mr. Joblott's observations on animalculæ", and had four editions to 1771. Henry Baker attacked this book, on grounds of

plagiarism Plagiarism is the representation of another person's language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions as one's own original work.From the 1995 ''Random House Dictionary of the English Language, Random House Compact Unabridged Dictionary'': use or close ...

. *''The Description and Use of a new Sea-quadrant for taking the altitude of the sun from the visible horizon'' (1748). *''The Description and Use of the Universal Trigonometrical Octant was invented and applied to Hadley's Quadrant'' (1753).

References

External links

Family history

Mathematical Instrument Set

on

Museo Galileo Museo Galileo (formerly ''Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza''; Institute and Museum of the History of Science) is located in Florence, Italy, in Piazza dei Giudici, along the River Arno and close to the Uffizi Gallery. The museum, dedicat ...

Virtual Museum {{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, George English science writers English scientific instrument makers 1720s births 1773 deaths Place of birth unknown Date of death missing Place of death missing Year of birth uncertain