Evangelista Torricelli

Evangelista Torricelli - Museo di Storia Naturale di Firenze

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NSRW Torricelli's experiment

Torricelli lunar crater map

Torricelli (S-512);0837310

Evangelista Torricelli (15 October 1608 – 25 October 1647) was an Italian physicist and mathematician, best known for his invention of the barometer. Torricelli's work in the field of mathematics and physics during the 17th century was influential in the development of the calculus and the understanding of atmospheric pressure.

Biography

Evangelista Torricelli was born in Faenza, in the Duchy of Romagna, now in modern-day Italy. He was educated in Rome, showing early talent in mathematics. Torricelli was a pupil of Galileo Galilei, and after Galileo's death, he succeeded him as the chair of mathematics at the University of Pisa.

Scientific Contributions

Barometer

Torricelli's most famous experiment, conducted in 1644, demonstrated the principle of atmospheric pressure. He filled a glass tube with mercury and inverted it into a dish of the same substance, observing that some of the mercury did not flow out and the space above the mercury in the tube was a vacuum. This experiment led to the invention of the barometer, an instrument for measuring atmospheric pressure.

Torricelli's Law

In fluid dynamics, Torricelli's Law describes the speed of a fluid flowing out of an orifice under the force of gravity. It is a principle that is still used in various applications today, including the design of water tanks and dams.

Mathematics

Torricelli also made significant contributions to the field of mathematics. He worked on the properties of cycloids and the geometry of infinitesimals, laying groundwork that would later be integral to the development of calculus.

Legacy

Torricelli died in Florence, Italy, in 1647. His contributions to physics and mathematics have made him a key figure in the scientific revolution of the 17th century. The unit of measure for atmospheric pressure, the torr, is named in his honor.