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Experiment by Gaspare Berti in the
Minim Convent at Pincio.
Gaspar Schott, Technica curiosa,
sive, Mirabilia artis, Würzburg 1664
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Probably a native of Mantova,
he passed most of his life in Rome. He was extremely active in the
scientific coterie of the papal city, establishing contact and working
with such figures as Luca Holstein, Athanasius Kircher and Raffaello
Magiotti. In 1643, on the death of Benedetto Castelli, he was nominated
his successor to the chair of mathematics at the Sapienza (the university
of Rome), but the experience did not last long, as he died the same
year.
Berti's research are of particular
importance for their close relationship with the work of Evangelista
Torricelli on atmospheric pressure. Between 1640 and 1643, Berti was
involved in the development of various experimental instruments, designed
to test empirically the level of ascent of water within a syphon,
which had been fixed by Galileo at 18 braccia (around 11 metres).
In a letter to Marin Mersenne in March, 1648, Raffaello Magiotti describes
a large "lead syphon" around 22 braccia long which Berti had
set up in the courtyard of his house. According to Magiotti, Berti,
using the results of his experiments, managed to deny the truth of
the galileian conclusions.
From reports by Athanasius Kircher and Gaspar
Schott, we can obtain more news on the experiments conducted by Berti
in order to reveal the real presence of the vacuum in the barometric
tube.
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