Centrifuge

A centrifuge is a machine that spins a sample at high speed to apply a steady centrifugal force to it, most often to separate the components of a fluid by density: denser material moves to the bottom or outer edge of the container while lighter material rises or stays nearer the center, letting the device also work as a filter that removes contaminants from liquids, from blood components to industrial waste. The centrifuge grew out of the dairy industry: in 1864 Antonin Prandtl conceived a centrifuge for separating cream from milk, and his brother Alexander refined the idea into a working butterfat-extraction machine that was shown publicly in 1875.