How Did Galilei Determine The Speed Of Light

The speed of light is a well-established premise in physics. Centuries before, it was often heard by scientists like Johannes Kepler and Rene Descartes that the speed of light was infinite, having the ability to travel at any distance immediately. A notable physicist named Galileo Galilei was one of the first scientists to ponder this phenomenon of light, and how to determine the speed of this unknown. In order to do so, Galilei formulates an experiment with an assistant. While standing on one hilltop, and his assistant standing on another farther away, both held a lamp that could be uncovered and covered whenever they pleased. Whenever Galilei uncovered his lantern, his assistant would mimic his actions whenever he saw the light of Galilei’s lantern, and vice versa.
Galileo attempted to record the time between lantern signals to measure the speed of light. However, he was unsuccessful with the results derived, as his conclusion was vague and almost inconclusive. Galileo stated, “If no instantaneous, it is extraordinarily rapid.” The distance which was used in the experiment to measure light’s speed was too small, and light moved too swiftly to be measured. Despite the fact that the results did not reveal every aspect of the rate at which speed travels, he was able to correctly conclude that light was faster than sound (at least ten times faster), providing an acceptable basis for other future scientists to follow. His findings brought scientist one step closer to determining the exact speed of