http://www.imss.fi.it/info/index.html
The Institute and Museum of the History of Science in Florence maintains this extensive website, available in both English and Italian. The site details the Museum's collections and the Institute's research activities, and provides a number of interesting online exhibits. Reflecting the scope of the Museum's holdings, the focus is on natural philosophy from the Renaissance to the early nineteenth century. The museum section features maps of the building, linking to a complete room-by-room guide to the displays. There are pages about: mathematical instruments; telescopes; microscopes; meteorology; mechanical clocks; Magnetic, electrostatic and electromagnetic instruments; surgical instruments; and the beginnings of modern chemistry and pharmacy. Hall IV is of particular note, housing instruments and artefacts associated with the Medicis' legendary court mathematician/philosopher Galileo Galilei (1564-1642). A 360-degree QuickTime view of this hall is one of the features of the website - users can click on objects to see a close-up of them, with descriptive text. Online materials include detailed photos of Leonardo da Vinci's manuscripts as well as other artefacts from the history of science. Sections of the site are devoted to the science and technology of Pompeii, the proof of the vacuum by Evangelista Torricelli, and to the scientist Francesco Redi. There is also a multimedia text of Galileo's Notes on Motion. Some of the online content is available in Italian only. Yearly summaries of the research undertaken by the Institute, and the publications it has produced, are provided in the relevant section. There are also news pages and a set of links. This site contains some excellent material and should prove of interest to students of the history of science.
To go directly to the online exhibits, follow this link : http://www.imss.fi.it/espo/index.html#esposizioni
to go directly to the multimedia catalogue, follow this link : http://brunelleschi.imss.fi.it/museum/esim.asp?c=23294&xsl=2
Most information is available in Italian and English, but some is only available in Italian.
| Source | Institute and Museum of the History of Science, Italy |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Compatibility | N/A |
| Rating | 5 |
| Language | en |
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