What the book is about
Tyndall was a celebrated lecturer, and this book reads like a series of brilliant demonstrations: sensitive flames that flicker at a whispered word, singing flames in glass tubes, sand patterns on vibrating plates and resonating organ pipes.
Later editions include his experiments with fog horns and sirens on the English coast, where he discovered that invisible 'acoustic clouds' – pockets of air at different temperatures and humidity – can make loud signals inaudible at surprisingly short distances.
Key ideas
- Sound as wave motion
- Sensitive and singing flames
- Resonance and organ pipes
- Interference and beats
- Fog signals and acoustic clouds
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Later editions (1875 onwards) add Tyndall's research on fog signals for Trinity House.