Experimenting with Sound in 19th Century Popular Science – The Public Domain Review

Mayer patiently introduces children to many of the pioneering principles and theories of sound that circulated in the late nineteenth century, covering topics such as reflection, transmission, vibration and speed, along with many newly discovered techniques for making sound visible, including the ubiquitous Chladni figures. But in addition to conveying scientific knowledge, it is striking to note how many of these demonstrations are described in aesthetic terms, as ‘beautiful’, ‘lovely’ or ‘harmonious’. Mayer clearly saw both aesthetic and intellectual value in his experiments, and he encouraged his young readers to do the same. For example, after using a pendulum that recorded the vibrations of different musical intervals, Mayer advised them to frame the curves produced by the pendulum by mounting them on glass, which will both make “beautiful ornaments for the window or mantelpiece, and will remind you that you are becoming an experimenter.” Another “very beautiful and striking experiment” involved sprinkling silica powder into a wooden whistle, while elsewhere he describes the pleasure of discovering “beautiful little luminous flowers, like forget-me-nots” produced by a singing cone led directly into the flame of a König. While science in the twenty-first century is often regarded as a down-to-earth and purely rational endeavor, in these books beauty and scientific knowledge go hand in hand.