The sun's image reflected in rippling water
Why waves broaden and brighten the sun's reflection; a whirlpool in a round pool
This densely illustrated page studies how moving water reflects the sun. Leonardo shows that waves enlarge the mirrored image of the sun, so that a rippled surface returns light over a broader stretch of water (triangle c e f) than a still one, and the more so the farther the image is from the eye. He argues the reflection is brightest in small, closely packed waves and in waves 'intersected like the rind of a pine-cone,' where the interposed shadows become imperceptible; a separate note explains that water striking a circular pool at a right angle spirals inward like a snail-shell. Three ink diagrams, carrying labels not included in the transcription, accompany the text.
On this page
Circular pool generating a snail-shell whirlpool
Water entering a pool of circular shape, when the line of its impact meets the end of the pool's diameter at a right angle, must generate a revolving motion that goes diminishing toward its centre in the manner of a snail-shell.
Waves enlarge the sun's mirrored image
The waves of the water enlarge the image of the thing mirrored in them. With a the sun, n m the ruffled water, b the still-water image and f the eye, the sun that on a smooth surface occupied the water c d now occupies all the water c e, and it would occupy the more the farther the image is from the eye.
Brightest in small, pine-cone-scale waves
The image of the sun shows brighter in small waves than in large, because its likenesses are denser there. Waves intersected in the manner of a pine-cone's rind give the greatest splendour, since the images are as many as the humps of the waves and the shadows between them are small and imperceptible.
The image spreads wider for a more distant eye
That image of the sun occupies more places on the water the more distant it is from the eye. With a the sun, p q the image, a b the water surface, r the near eye seeing the image occupy the space o m, and c the more remote eye, the image occupies a greater space of water by the space n o.
Labelled ray diagrams (sun, water, eye)
The figures show a disk (the sun) sending rays down onto a rippled water line and up to an eye, together with wavy and cross-hatched bands representing wave textures. They carry further ink labels that were not included in the transcription.
