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Foschi R, Leone M, 2009, "Galileo, measurement of the velocity of light, and the reaction times" Perception 38(8) 1251 – 1259
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Galileo, measurement of the velocity of light, and the reaction times

Renato Foschi, Matteo Leone

Received 9 September 2008, in revised form 24 October 2008; published online 29 June 2009

Abstract. According to the commonly accepted view, Galileo Galilei devised in 1638 an experiment that seemed able to show that the velocity of light is finite. An analysis of archival material shows that two decades later members of the Florence scientific society Accademia del Cimento followed Galileo guidelines by actually attempting to measure the velocity of light and suggesting improvements. This analysis also reveals a fundamental difference between Galileo’s and Florence academy’s methodologies and that Galileo’s experiment was, in some respects, a pioneering work affecting also the history of the psychology of perception.

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