He once started out as a secretary to a scholar at a University and received tuition as part-payment for his services. Through this job he become involved with someone exclusively more famous, because of a certain works that this person published, which, subsequently got banned and resulted in a well-known trial. Who was this secretary, who was the more famous person and how does all this relate to the relationship between the height of a man and his bladder activity?

lanfranco

This is probably Evangelista Torricelli (1608-1647), once a secretary to Benedetto Castelli at Pisa's Sapienza and later amanuensis to Galileo. After Galileo's death, Torricelli became grand-ducal mathematician in Florence. His experiments led to the discovery of the principle of the barometer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evangelista_Torricelli As for height and bladders, here's one Torricellian barometric experiment of the 17th century, but I'll have to leave it someone else to pinpoint precisely the interesting relationship to which you're referring: http://brunelleschi.imss.fi.it/genscheda.asp?appl=SIM&xsl=multimed&lingua=ENG&chiave=500171 Jul 17 05, 10:50 AM

lanfranco

I'm going to repeat that last site here, so it will be easier to access: http://brunelleschi.imss.fi.it/genscheda.asp?appl=SIM&xsl=multimed&lingua=ENG&chiave=500171 Jul 17 05, 4:55 PM

peasypod

Nice One Frankie, but yes, only half the Banana for you, until you tell me about the, um, other. Come on, Maven! Have you never written your name in the snow? Jul 17 05, 6:02 PM

lanfranco

The Maven's out of town at the moment. If you are suggesting that greater height will allow a man to achieve a greater arc and distance in a "snow-writing" contest (ahem), I strongly suspect that some simple equation would confirm this. However, never having done this myself, I'll open this question up to the gentlemen ... Jul 17 05, 6:39 PM

peasypod

Ok, we'll wait for the boys to come back. Perhaps gmack might tell us all about how chummy Torricelli was with Bernoulli... Jul 17 05, 6:53 PM

lanfranco

The Bernoulli Principle? An increase in velocity occurs with a decrease in pressure? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Bernoulli With links ... Jul 17 05, 7:15 PM

peasypod

Have a little look at the 'Equation'... Jul 17 05, 7:25 PM

lanfranco

Well, yes, without getting too graphic here, I was thinking about "fluid dynamics" and "streamlines". Jul 17 05, 7:52 PM

SOTHC

My neighbour had compained about me writing my name in the snow in his front garden. What really upset him was that it was in his wife's handwriting. I know it is an old joke but it just seemed apt. Jul 18 05, 3:25 AM

peasypod

Alrighty, here's what Bernoulli and Torricelli came up with after they had a whizzing competition one Sunday afternoon. http://www.eng.wayne.edu/coe/forms/4/timmkunns.htm Basically what it all means is that the distance between the bladder and 'exit point' results in a tendancy for faster, and hence further 'flow' in taller men than of shorter men.... Jul 19 05, 5:45 AM

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