Who invented the piano, the keyboard instrument that uses hammers striking strings to produce sound?

Introduction / Context:
The piano is one of the most important musical instruments in Western music, used in solo performances, ensembles, composition and teaching. It evolved from earlier keyboard instruments like the harpsichord and clavichord but introduced dynamic control over volume. This question tests your knowledge of the inventor who created the first piano, a name that is important in the history of music and instruments.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The instrument in question is the piano, a stringed keyboard instrument.
• The inventor designed a mechanism where hammers strike strings when keys are pressed.
• The options include people known for inventions in other fields, such as cooking, optics and underwater exploration.
• Only one option correctly names the inventor of the piano.

Concept / Approach:
Bartolomeo Cristofori di Francesco, an Italian instrument maker, is credited with inventing the piano around the early eighteenth century. He designed an instrument he called gravicembalo col piano e forte, meaning harpsichord with soft and loud, which allowed players to vary volume by changing the force with which they pressed the keys. Ruth Graves Wakefield is famous for creating the chocolate chip cookie, Adolf Gaston Eugen Fick for work in optics and contact lenses, and Jacques Cousteau for underwater exploration and filmmaking. Therefore, only Cristofori fits the description of piano inventor.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Understand that the piano is a keyboard instrument whose invention is tied to the development of Western classical music.Step 2: Recall that Bartolomeo Cristofori di Francesco, an Italian craftsman, created the first piano in the early 1700s.Step 3: Scan the answer options and identify his full name in option A.Step 4: Note that Ruth Graves Wakefield is a cook and inventor of a dessert, Fick is linked with contact lenses and Cousteau with scuba and documentaries.Step 5: Choose Bartolomeo Cristofori di Francesco as the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
Music history sources and encyclopedias clearly state that Cristofori built the earliest pianos in Italy, transitioning from plucked to hammered string mechanisms. Museums still preserve some of his original instruments. In contrast, the other options are not associated with musical instrument invention. This strong agreement in historical records confirms that Cristofori is the right name to associate with the piano.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Ruth Graves Wakefield is credited with inventing the chocolate chip cookie at the Toll House Inn, which is unrelated to musical instruments. Adolf Gaston Eugen Fick contributed to the development of contact lenses and work in physiology, not piano construction. Jacques Cousteau is famous for co developing the Aqua Lung and popularising marine exploration through films and books. None of these figures invented the piano, so they serve as distractors only.

Common Pitfalls:
Because Cristofori name is long and Italian, some students may find it hard to remember and instead guess based on more familiar names, even if they belong to unrelated fields. To avoid this, associate Cristofori with the phrase piano forte and Italy. Remembering this pair helps you recall that he was the craftsman who gave the world the piano, an essential element of music today.

Final Answer:
The piano was invented by Bartolomeo Cristofori di Francesco.