Return to Question

This is the beginning of an apparently physics-unrelated question, which involves 1700-1800 Italian law, atmospheric processes, sound waves propagating through fluid and clouds, and lightning strikes burning down churches.

I live next to the European Alps, in northern Italy. Here weather is often cloudy and thunderstorms are not rare. For religious purposes, every town in this area has a church with a tall bell tower alongside it. And of course, a huge bronze bell hangs in each tower to ring every hour.

I've talked to a local elderly (who happens to manage the bell tower) about thunderstorms, and I was told that when a thunderstorm approaches he rings the bell repeatedly and vigorously to try to "break up the storm", in order to supposedly avoid rain and thunder falling on the town. This is a practice still widely used to this day in this area. Me being a engineering student, I wanted to figure out if that really made sense and what effects ringing the bell really had.

A bronze bell ringing multiple times produces sound. The kinetic energy of the bronze clapper is cast on the bell, which converts it into sound energy. Specifically, the bronze bell vibrates and transfers the sharp vibration to the layer of air molecules wrapped around the bell, which initiates a chain transmission. This produces sound waves, which are longitudinal (compression) waves transmitted through a fluid (air).

Those waves are then spread out more or less spherically (following the inverse square law) from the bell top point.

• What happens when the sound wave passes through the cloud?
• Does the wave have enough energy to reasonably alter the formation of the cloud and therefore prevent / allow the thunderstorm?
• Is there such thing as "breaking up the storm" or is it just a popular belief?

I genuinely have no idea since I have no first hand experience with this. Thunderstorm formation looks like a whole different process, and I can't seem to find a connection with sound waves.

Their results look extremely nonrigorous, but it can be a starting point to reflect on.

Plus, the bell sound would warn locals that a storm is approaching.

This is the beginning of an apparently physics-unrelated question which involves 1700-1800 Italian law, atmospheric processes, sound waves propagating through fluids, and lightning strikes burning down churches.

I live next to the European Alps, in northern Italy. Here weather is often cloudy and thunderstorms are not rare. For religious purposes, every town in this area has a church, with a tall bell tower alongside it. And of course, a huge bronze bell hangs in each tower ringing every hour.

I've talked to a local elderly (who happens to manage the bell tower) about thunderstorms, and I was told that every time a thunderstorm approaches, he rings the bell repeatedly and vigorously to try to "break up the storm" and "tear the clouds apart", in order to supposedly avoid rain and thunder falling on the town. This is a practice still widely used to this day in this area. Me being a engineering student, I wanted to figure out if that really made sense and what effects ringing the bell really had.

A bronze bell ringing multiple times produces sound. The kinetic energy of the bronze clapper is cast on the bell, which converts it into vibrations. Specifically, the bronze bell vibrates and transfers the sharp vibration to the layer of air molecules wrapped around the bell, which initiates a chain transmission. This produces sound waves, which are longitudinal (compression) waves transmitted through a fluid (air).

Those waves are then spread out more or less spherically (inverse square law) from the bell top point.

• What happens when the sound wave passes through the cloud?
• Does the wave have enough energy to reasonably alter the formation of the cloud and therefore alter / prevent the thunderstorm?
• Is there such thing as "breaking up the storm", or is it just a popular belief/psychological effect?

I genuinely have no idea since I have no first hand experience with this, even though it sounds almost insane. Thunderstorm formation looks like a process on a whole different scale, but I can't seem to find a connection with sound waves.

Their results look extremely non rigorous, but it can be a starting point to reflect on.

Plus, the bell sound would warn locals that a storm is approaching, which is said to be a nice side effect, but actually feels like it's the most relevant thing.

This is the beginning of an apparently physics-unrelated question, which involves 1700-1800 Italian law, atmospheric processes, sound waves propagating though fluid and clouds, and lighting strikes burning down churces.

I live next to the Europeans Alps, in northern Italy. Here weather is often cloudy and thunderstorms are not rare. For religious purposes, every town in this area has a church with a tall bell tower alongside it. And of course, a huge bronze bell hangs in each tower to ring every hour.

I've talked to a local elderly (who happens to manage the bell tower) about thunderstorms, and I was told that when a thunderstorm apporaches he rings the bell repeatedly and vigorously to try to "break up the storm", in order to supposedly avoid rain and thunders falling on the town. This is a practice still widely used to this day in this area. Me being a engineering student, I wanted to figure out if that really made sense and what effects ringing the bell really sorted.

Their answer is the opposite of what I expected: they though that ringing the bell actually amplified the storm.

Note: I can do a full translation of the paper if someone is interested, right now I'll do by best to translate and summarize the key concepts (sparing you a ton of mid-1700 religious and legal drama)

It is also said that the bell sound (while storming) attracts the lightning strikes on the tower bell (which is pure nonsense), instead of letting lightning target houses or fields, and it is though to be a good thing.

This is the beginning of an apparently physics-unrelated question, which involves 1700-1800 Italian law, atmospheric processes, sound waves propagating through fluid and clouds, and lightning strikes burning down churches.

I live next to the European Alps, in northern Italy. Here weather is often cloudy and thunderstorms are not rare. For religious purposes, every town in this area has a church with a tall bell tower alongside it. And of course, a huge bronze bell hangs in each tower to ring every hour.

I've talked to a local elderly (who happens to manage the bell tower) about thunderstorms, and I was told that when a thunderstorm approaches he rings the bell repeatedly and vigorously to try to "break up the storm", in order to supposedly avoid rain and thunder falling on the town. This is a practice still widely used to this day in this area. Me being a engineering student, I wanted to figure out if that really made sense and what effects ringing the bell really had.

Their answer is the opposite of what I expected: they thought that ringing the bell actually amplified the storm.

Note: I can do a full translation of the paper if someone is interested, right now I'll do my best to translate and summarize the key concepts (sparing you a ton of mid-1700 religious and legal drama)

It is also said that the bell sound (while storming) attracts the lightning strikes on the tower bell (which is pure nonsense), instead of letting lightning target houses or fields, and it is thought to be a good thing.

1: Atmospheric Sound Ondulations. Vibrations originated from percussion of objects propagate spherically, generating "compression and approachment of parts". Not heavy clouds break under this condition. But a cloud is a electrified conductor. It is known that the stress exercised from the electric fire is inversely proportional to its capacity, and its capacity is directly proportional to the surface area. If the cloud volume decreases, its surface area must decrease too. Therefore, the capacity will decrease and the intensity of the electric fire will increase. From this we can infer that vibrations, which compress the volume of a cloud, necessarily increase the intensity of the electric fire, which will discharge on the closest bodies, thus on the bell tower.

2. Air rarity around bell tower. Vibrations continuously remove air and turn it into thinner and thinner air. There is therefore an air current towards the sound source. The electric fire will follow that direction.

1: Atmospheric Sound Ondulations. Vibrations originated from percussion of objects propagate spherically, generating "compression and approachment of parts". Not heavy clouds break under this condition. But a cloud is a electrified conductor. It is known that the stress exercised from the electric fire is inversely proportional to its capacity, and its capacity is directly proportional to the surface area. If the cloud volume decreases, its surface area must decrease too. Therefore, the capacity will decrease and the intensity of the electric fire will increase. From this we can infer that vibrations, which compress the volume of a cloud, necessarily increase the intensity of the electric fire, which will discharge on the closest bodies, thus on the bell tower.

2: Air rarity around bell tower. Vibrations continuously remove air and turn it into thinner and thinner air. There is therefore an air current towards the sound source. The electric fire will follow that direction.