The Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Lab is a set of toy labs produced by Alfred Carlton Gilbert, who is an American athlete, wizard, toy maker, businessman and inventor of the famous Set Erector. The Atomic Energy Lab was released by A. C. Gilbert Company in 1950. The aim of the kit is to enable children to make and watch nuclear and chemical reactions using radioactive materials.
Video Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Laboratory
Background and development
Gilbert believes that toys are the foundation for building a "solid American character", and many of his toys have some kind of educational meaning to them. Gilbert even nicknamed "the man who saved Christmas" during World War I when he convinced the US National Defense Council not to ban the purchase of toys during Christmas time.
The Atomic Energy Lab was just one of a dozen chemical reaction laboratory kits on the market at the time. Gilbert's toys often contain instructions on how the child can use the device to display his own "magic show". For parents, he encourages the idea that the use of chemical reactions by teams leads their children to potential careers in science and engineering.
In 1954, Gilbert wrote in his autobiography, The Man Who Lives in Paradise, that the Atomic Energy Laboratory is "the most spectacular of the new educational toys [them]". Gilbert writes that the Government encourages the development of sets because it believes the laboratory will help the public understanding of atomic energy and emphasize its constructive aspects. Gilbert also defended his Atomic Energy Laboratory, stating it's safe, accurate, and that some of the country's best nuclear physicists have worked on the project.
Maps Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Laboratory
Description
The lab contains a cloud space that allows viewers to watch alpha particles that move at 12,000 miles per second (19,000,000 m/s), spinthariscope that shows the result of radioactive disintegration on fluorescent screens, and electroscopes measuring the radioactivity of different substances in sets.
Decades later, the lab set was criticized as "the most dangerous toy in the world" because of the radioactive material being put. Gilbert's original promotion claimed that no material proved dangerous. However, instructions are warned, "Users should not take ore samples from their jars, as they tend to peel and crumble and you will run the risk of having radioactive ore scattered in your laboratory.This will increase your total amount of background.
The set initially sells for $ 49.50 ($ 503 today) and contains the following:
- Geiger-MÃÆ'¼ller battery-powered counter
- Electroscope
- Spinthariscope
- Wilson cloud chamber
- Four glass bottles containing uranium-containing ore samples (autunite, torbernite, uraninite, and carnotite from the "Colorado highlands"), serve as low-level radiation sources:
- Alpha Particle (Pb-210 and Po-210)
- beta particles (Ru-106)
- Gamma rays (probably Zn-65)
- "Nuclear Sphere" to create an alpha particle model
- Gilbert Atomic Energy Manual - 60 page instruction book
- Learn How Dagwood Divides Atom - introduction to comic books for radioactivity
- Prospecting for Uranium - a book
- Three C batteries
- 1951 Gilbert Toys Catalog
A product catalog describes the set as follows: "Delivers stunning scenery Allowing you to actually SEE the electrons and alpha particles that are speeding at more than 10,000 miles per SECOND! Electrons that race with incredible speeds produce smooth paths and electro condensation - beautiful to watch. See Cloud Chamber's action is the closest human have come to watch the Atom kit! Assembly (Chamber can be incorporated in minutes) including Electric Power Pack-Dri, Deionizer, Compression Ball, Glass Display Room, Power Lead, Stand, and Feet. "
Among other activities, the kit suggests "playing hide and seek with gamma ray sources", challenging players to use Geiger counters to find hidden radioactive samples in a room.
Legacy
Unlike other chemical sets from Gilbert Company, the Atomic Energy Lab was never popular and was immediately taken off the shelf. Less than 5000 kits were sold, and the product was only offered in 1950 and 1951. Gilbert believes the Atomic Energy Lab is commercially unsuccessful because the lab is more appropriate for those with educational background than the younger person that Gilbert Air Conditioner is intended for. Columbia University purchased these five sets for their physics lab.
References
External links
- A. C. Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Lab by Frank J. Leskovitz
- Oak Ridge University Atom page '
- Listing on the Erector/Gilbert fan site
- Very bad toys: Atomic Energy Lab usa ca. 1960
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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