All the way back in 1873, chemist Sir William Crookes noticed that the sunlight shining on his balance scale was disturbing some of the chemical samples he was weighing. Furrowing his brow, a bit of investigation led him to the invention of the Radiometer, an easy to use example of a heat engine as the by-product of chemical research!

So how does the Radiometer work? Well, your Radiometer consists of an airtight glass bulb with much of the air removed. Inside the bulb is a rotor with 4 metal vanes, which are silver on one side, and black on the other. When exposed to heat or light, the vanes will begin to spin. This is an example of thermodynamics!

You see, the black side of the vanes heats up quicker than the silver, the air molecules left inside the globe heat up when they touch the black side, and cool when they move away from it. This causes a small current of air that turn the vanes, making them spin. So set your Radiometer somewhere where it will be exposed to light or heat, then watch the vanes turn by themselves! At 22cm tall, your Radiometer rotor will spin continuously up to 3,000 RPM!

This is not a toy, made of glass.

Peter and Anne-Maree
Hello from Peter & Anne-Maree

CoolThings Australia is a Australian owned & operated small business located in Launceston, Tasmania.

The CoolThings Australia mission is to help you be the coolest gift giver in your family and circle of friends.

You know the feeling you get when you give a gift and the response is "That's so cool!" - that is what its all about!

CoolThings Australia was started in 2003 by Peter and Anne-Maree and is still led by them to this day. Their purpose in business is to be givers themselves and they support multiple organisations close to their hearts locally, nationally and internationally.

Both Peter and Anne-Maree and their team of cool giftologists thankyou for your support and are looking forward to serving you today!

Crooke's Radiometer Reviews

BrianImage
Brian - Verified Customer

5 October

(5)

Brilliant way to simulate curiosity in physics. In direct sunlight it really spins

Terry Daly - Reviewer

16 November

(5)

I was delighted by the prompt fulfilling of my recent order of a Crook's Radiometer from CoolThings. It was well packed and came in quick time. Thank you CoolTHings!

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Shop Reviews

(5) Rick - Verified Customer

The surprise on the recipients face said it all. Speedy delivery. Kept up to date whilst in transit It’s almost unlimited in all the cool things (pun intended) you can get, especially for those who like gifts that are unique I’m adding an extra star, even though I’m limited to 5...

(5) Rick - Verified Customer

The surprise on the recipients face said it all. Speedy delivery. Kept up to date whilst in transit It’s almost unlimited in all the cool things (pun intended) you can get, especially for those who like gifts that are unique I’m adding an extra star, even though I’m limited to 5...

(5) Sue - Verified Customer

I wanted 3 small cool gifts for my grandsons..so happy, they arrived on time. Hope the grandies love them....

(5) Janne - Verified Customer

Great service fast delivery fab game...

(5) neens - Verified Customer

I needed to make a last minute present for the family 'Santa re-gift' group which was a slightly stressful situation!! I had a look at coolthings and was so impressed with all the interesting items available. I made my purchase & received a confirmation email straight away & my order was received the next day. Thanks so much, great ...

(5) Joanne - Verified Customer

Fun stress reliever by pulling mice through holes in cheese. Stretchy. Speedy delivery. Great communication. Would buy again from this store. Many unique gifts to choose from....

(5) Jenny - Verified Customer

As always a great experience dealing with this wonderful Tassie Company. I have purchased several products overtime and have also been please with the products purchased and the fantastic & prompt service. ...

(5) Geraldine - Verified Customer

Prompt dispatch and delivery of ordered item. Easy site to navigate, and excellent customer service. I received a speedy reply to a question I had about my purchase....

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