LIST OF IMPORTANT SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS AND THEIR USES
A scientific instrument is, broadly speaking, a device or tool used for scientific purposes, including the study of both natural phenomena and theoretical research
| Scientific Insruments | Uses | Inventors |
| Altimeter | An instrument used in aircrafts for measuring altitudes | French physicist Louis Paul Cailletet |
| Ammeter | Measures electric current | Friedrich Drexler |
| Anemometer | Used to measure the speed, direction and pressure of the wind. | Leon Battista Alberti |
| Audiometer | Measures intensity of sound | Georg von Békésy (1899-1972; winner of the Nobel Prize), a Hungarian-American physicist. |
| Barograph | Continuous recording of atmospheric pressure | Frenchman Lucien Vidi |
| Barometer | Measures atmospheric pressure and conditions. | Evangelista Torricelli |
| Binoculars | An optical instrument used for magnified view of distant objects. | J. P. Lemiere |
| Bolometer | Measures infra-red (Heat) radiation. | Samuel Pierpont Langley |
| Callipers | Measures diameters of thin cylinder/wire. | Pierre Vernier |
| Calorimeter | Measures quantity of heat | Antoine Lavoisier and Pierre-Simon |
| Carburettor | Used for charging air with petrol vapours in an internal combustion engine. | The first carburetor was invented by Samuel Morey in 1826. Later, Enrico Bernardi developed another carburetor at the University of Padua in 1882 |
| Cardiogram(ECG) | Traces movements of the heart , recorded on a Cardiograph | Willem Einthoven |
| Cathetometer | Determines heights and levels | French physicists P. Dulong and A. Petit(1816) |
| Chronometer | Determines longitude of a vessel at sea. | John Harrison |
| Cinematograph | Used for projecting pictures on the screen. | Auguste Lumière |
| Colorimeter | Compares intensity of colours | John T. Stock |
| Commutator | Used in generators to reverse the direction of electric current. | British scientist William Sturgeon in 1832 |
| Crescograph | Used for measuring growth in plants. | Jagadish Chandra Bose |
| Cryometer | Measurement of low temperature. | |
| Cyclotron | Used for accelerating charged particles in microwave oscillator | Ernest Lawrence |
| Dilatometer | Measures change in volume of substances | Abbe and Fizeau in the second half of 19th century |
| Dynamo | Coverts mechanical energy into electrical energy | Michael Faraday |
| Electrometer | Measures very small but potential difference in electric currents | William Snow Harris |
| Electrometer | Used for measuring electrical potential difference. | |
| Electroscope | Detects presence of an electric Charge | William Gilbert |
| Electron microscope | Used to obtain a magnifying view of very small objects (20,000 times). | Max Knoll and Ernst Ruska |
| Endoscope | To examine internal parts of the body | Bozzini |
| Fathometer | Measures depth of the ocean | Herbert Grove Dorsey (April 24, 1876 – 1961) |
| Fluxmeter | Measures magnetic flux | Muller Martin |
| Galvanometer | Measures electric current | Johann Schweigger |
| Gramophone | Used to reproducing recorded sound. | French inventor Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville |
| Hydrometer | Measures the relative density of liquids | William Nicholson |
| Hydrophone | Measure sound under water | Reginald Fessenden |
| Hygrometer | Used to measure the moisture content or the humidity of air or any gas. | Horace Bénédict de Saussure |
| Hygroscope | Shows the changes in atmospheric humidity | Robert Hooke |
| Hypsometer | Determines boiling point of liquids. | Wayne R Norman |
| Lactometer | Measures the relative density of milk. | Mr. Dicas |
| Machmeter | Determines the speed of an aircraft relative to the speed of sound | Angst Walter |
| Manometer | Compares magnetic movement and fields | Otton von Guerick |
| Manometer | Used to measure atmospheric pressure | |
| Micrometer | Coverts sound waves into electrical vibration | William Gascoigne |
| Microphone | Converts sound waves into electrical signals. | Emile Berliner |
| Microscope | Used to obtain a magnified view of small objects | Zacharias Janssen |
| Nephetometer | Measures the scattering of light by particles suspended in a liquid | Theodore William Richards |
| Odometer | An instrument attached to the wheel of a vehicle, to measure the distance travelled. | Benjamin Franklin |
| Ohmmeter | Measures electrical resistance of objects | Osvold Robert Harold |
| Ondometer | Measures the frequency of electromagnetic waves(radio waves) | |
| Optometer | Used for testing the refractive power of the eye. | Dr Jules Badal |
| Otoscope | Used for visual examination of the eardrum. | E. Seigle |
| Periscope | Used to view objects above sea level (Used in submarines). | Hippolyte Marié-Davy |
| Phonograph | Used for reproducing sound. | Thomas Edison |
| Photometer | Compares the luminous intensity of the two sources of light | Dmitry Lachinov |
| Polygraph | It simultaneously records changed in physiological processes such as heartbeat, blood pressure & the respiration (used as lie detector) | William Moulton Marston |
| Pyrheliometer | Used for measuring Solar radiation. | C. G. ABBOTT |
| Pyrometer | Measures very high temperature. | Josiah Wedgwood |
| Quadrant | Measures altitudes and angles in navigation and astronomy | John Hadley |
| Radar | Radio, Detection and Ranging. | Heinrich Hertz |
| Rain Gauge | Measures Rainfall. | King Sejong the Great |
| Refractometer | Measures salinity of solutions | Ernst Abbe |
| Refractometer | Measures a Refractive Index of a substance. | Carl Zeiss |
| Sextant | Used by navigators to find the latitude of place by measuring the elevation above the horizon of the sun or another star; also used to measure the height of very distant objects | John Campbell |
| Sextant | Used for measuring angular distance between two objects. | |
| Siesmograph | Used for recording the intensity and origin of earthquakes shocks. | John Milne |
| Spectroscope | Used for Spectrum analysis. | Robert Wilhelm Bunsen |
| Speedometer | An instrument used for measuring speed of the vehicle. | Croatian Josip Belušić in 1888 |
| Spherometer | Measures curvature of spherical objects. | Robert-Aglaé Cauchoix |
| Sphygmomanometer | Measures blood pressure. | Samuel Siegfried Karl Ritter von Basch in 1881 |
| Stethoscope | Used for hearing and analysing the sound of Heart. | René Laennec |
| Tachometer | To determine speed, especially the rotational speed of a shaft(rpm) | James W. Allen |
| Tangent galvanometer | Measure the amount of direct current(DC) | André-Marie Ampère |
| Telemeter | Records physical happenings at a distant place(space) | C. Michalke |
| Telescope | Used for magnified view of distant objects. | Hans Lippershey |
| Thermometer | Measures Temperature | Galileo Galilei |
| Thermostat | Automatically regulates temperatures at a constant point. | Warren S. Johnson |
| Tonometer | Measures the pitch of a sound | John Austin |
| Transformer | An apparatus used for converting high voltage to low and vice-versa without change in its frequency. | Ottó Bláthy |
| Transponder | To receive a signal and transmit a reply immediately in satellites. | Charles M Redman |
| Venturimeter | Measures the rate of flow of liquids | Clemens Herschel |
| Vernier | Measures Small sub-division of scale. | Pierre Vernier |
| Viscometer | Measures Viscosity of liquid. | Edward H Zeitfuchs |
| Voltmeter | Used to measure electric potential difference between two points | Andrew Kay |
| Wattmeter | To measure electric power | Ottó Bláthy |
| Wavemeter | To measure the wavelength of a radiowave(high frequency waves) | Paul D Zottu |
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