Abstract
NEARLY 150 pages of vol. 19 of the Atti della Societa Reale de Napoli are devoted to a valuable and interesting memoir by Prof. R. Marcolongo of the University of Naples on the mechanics of Leonardo da Vinci, which may be considered a sequel to his memoir on the geometro-mechanical research of Leonardo published in 1929. The publication by the Royal Commission Vinciana of the Codex Arundel of the British Museum, the Codex Forster of the Victoria and Albert Museum and of some defective pages of the Codex L. da Vinci of the Turin Library allow the author to correct errors of recent British and German publications dealing with the work of Leonardo da Vinci. He deals first with statics, describes the state of the subject in medieval times and shows what sources of information were available at the end of the fifteenth century. Then follow chapters on Leonardo's writings on the lever and balance, the idea of moments, the composition of forces, equilibrium on inclined planes, centres of gravity, pulleys, resistance of materials and the arch. Under dynamics, he begins by describing Greek and medieval sources and then deals with Leonardo's contributions under the headings force, impact, weight, laws of motion, motion on inclined planes, projectiles, and impact.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Mechanics of Leonardo da Vinci. Nature 132, 310 (1933). https://doi.org/10.1038/132310b0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/132310b0