From Pythagoras to Sauveur: tracing the history of ideas about the nature of sound

摘要

This paper aims to supplement the scant literature on the history of ideas about the nature of sound. It presents how notions about the production and propagation of sound developed from antiquity up to the 17th century, i.e. from the time of Pythagoras to the time of Sauveur. It will highlight and examine the principles of sound that were formulated by Galileo and Newton, which are among the less well known work of these two giants in physics. The contributions of some familiar scientists, for example Hooke and Boyle, who are usually associated with scientific discoveries unrelated to sound, will also be covered. Some insights for the understanding of the nature of science and for the teaching and learning of physics will also be presented.