COMPASS, Exhibition Galileo Museum, Florence

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COMPASS

From 28 June to 15 September 2024

Galileo Museum

Piazza dei Giudici, 1, Florence

Open now from 09:30 to 18:00

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The proportional compass has been an indispensable companion for architects, engineers, and scientists for over two centuries. At first glance, it is a very simple calculation tool, consisting of two flat legs joined by a pivot. Each leg has various scales engraved on it, the use of which allows for measurements to be taken, calculations to be made, and various information to be obtained. The exhibition reconstructs the history of this extraordinary instrument, which represents one of the most significant achievements of practical Western mathematics, illustrating its evolution, functioning, and various uses, and above all the fundamental role it has played in the development of mathematical applications. The proportional compass is also a perfect example of the symbiosis between science and art, the result of the combination of rigorous mathematical principles with the skill of refined craftsmen. The precious specimens on display in many cases are indeed true works of art for the richness of the materials used and the sophistication with which they were made. Circinus is an adaptation of the exhibition Proportionalzirkel und seltene Mathematik- und Zeicheninstrumente des 17. und 18. Jahrhunderts set up in Bonn at the Arithmeum from October 21, 2023, to June 9, 2024. The Florentine exhibition, realized in collaboration with the Arithmeum, is enriched by a specially conceived section dedicated to the origins of the proportional compass, from Leonardo to Galileo, in which instruments and texts from the collections of the Museo Galileo are displayed. The exhibition features numerous historical pieces from the Arithmeum in Bonn, the Hessen Kassel Heritage, the Rocca di Bonn and Delalande collections in Paris, the Fondazione Pisa, as well as from the Museo Galileo itself, accompanied by original and facsimile volumes and reconstructions of proportional compasses, including some designed by Leonardo da Vinci.

	opens - closes	last entry
monday	09:30 - 18:00
tuesday	09:30 - 13:00
wednesday	09:30 - 18:00
thursday	09:30 - 18:00
friday	09:30 - 18:00
saturday	09:30 - 18:00
sunday	09:30 - 18:00

COMPASS

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