Scientific instruments in physics cabinets: classification and comparative study

Abstract

This article describes a study of collections of physics instruments in Spanish schools. In order to compare the collections, an analysis was performed of physics textbooks of the 19th century as well as of instruments in research laboratories, and modern school laboratories. For this purpose a classification scheme, based on didactic criteria, was applied. In this way, we obtained a profile for each collection, which highlights the existence of a set of characteristic patterns. The results of our study contribute to a deeper knowledge of how physics was taught in the past, and especially in Spain in the 19th century.