Jean-André Deluc's Traveling Barometer

In the second half of the 18th century, Jean-André Deluc painstakingly designed a portable barometer which could accurately determine the heights of mountains by measuring the weight of atmospheric air. While the principle behind the instrument was straightforward and had been used for more than a century, the novelty and success of Deluc's barometer depended on its ability of balancing various elements. Because of the shocks from travel and climbing, it was a great challenge to prevent air from mixing into the mercury reservoir. The reactive properties of mercury limited the elements with which it could come into contact. Occasional tumbles and falls posed a great risk to the glass container. Deluc's solution relied on coordinating how the elements and materials of the barometer reacted and moved in relation to each other. Most importantly, Deluc's barometer was not just designed for travel, but rather it was designed in response to Deluc's own travels and experiences in the Alps of the Haute-Savoie.