Sound

Sound Synopsis

Professor of natural philosophy at the Royal Institution between 1853 and 1887, the British physicist and mountaineer John Tyndall (1820–93) passionately sought to share scientific understanding with the Victorian public. A lucid and highly regarded communicator, he lectured on such topics as heat, light, magnetism and electricity. In this collection of eight lectures, first published in 1867, Tyndall explains numerous acoustic phenomena for a non-specialist audience. Emphasising the practical nature of scientific enquiry, he describes experiments throughout and includes many illustrations of laboratory equipment. The lectures discuss the general properties of sound, how it travels, how noise and music differ, how gas flames can produce musical notes, and much more. Several of Tyndall's other publications, from his work on radiant heat to his exploration of alpine glaciers, are also reissued in this series.