Finding the Angle of Incidence on a Spherical Mirror
Geometric construction on circle m p y using the cathetus to the mirror's centre
This transmitted-light plate of the leaf carries a catoptric construction: given the eye and the object as two points, Leonardo shows how to locate the angle of incidence on a spherical mirror. He fixes that the angle can never lie outside the cathetus running from eye and object to the mirror's centre, then gives a full compass-and-straightedge procedure on the circle m p y, drawing radii to the centre, an arc f h, and transferring the segment o p to the opposite side to fix the point n. A proof by the equal angles m r n and p t n closes the demonstration. A lettered figure sits at the top centre of the sheet.
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The angle of incidence never falls outside the cathetus
The angle of incidence will never lie outside the cathetus that runs between the eye and the object and ends at the centre of the spherical mirror. If the space between eye and object is a b, its cathetus in the spherical mirror K o s would be a b c.
Compass construction of the incidence point on circle m p y
From the two given points a and b, lines a c and b c are drawn to the circle's centre; c a is prolonged equal to c b to build the base e b of triangle e b c. Opening the compass to half that base and sweeping the arc f h locates g where line a b crosses it; g c then cuts the circle at o, and the segment o p carried to the opposite side at m n fixes the incidence point at n.
