Beyond the Saggi: Experiments on Sound in the manuscripts of the Accademia del Cimento

This article focuses on a previously overlooked section of the 'Saggi di naturali esperienze' (1667) dedicated to the study of sound, addressing experimental tests on the independence of the speed of sound from the intensity of a gunshot, wind effects, and physical distance traveled. The results are presented within the Saggi as outcomes of the Accademia del Cimento’s endeavors. However, their absence in the ‘diaries,’ which record the academic meetings, suggests that they were performed before the formal opening of the Accademia. This evidence, supported by letters exchanged among scholars and external correspondents, reveals a continuity of experimental inquiry within the Florentine context, exceeding the temporal confines traditionally associated with the Accademia (1657-67). Parallel analysis of published and unpublished materials uncovers the details of these experiments, including philosophical influences, innovative experimental techniques, scientific instruments, practical aims, temporal framework, and the people involved.