Raising a Beam by Counterweights Through Right Angles
A hinged beam drawn at successive inclinations with weights 2, 1½, 1, ½, ¼
At the top a beam hinged at a fixed corner is drawn as a fan of successive positions while it is hauled upright by a cord running over a pulley, each stage marked with a counterweight (2, 1½, 1, ½, ¼) set in an oval. The note calls this 'rectilinear motion produced through right angles,' relating the effort to the beam's changing angle. Fainter constructions and a paragraph of further untranscribed writing fill the lower half of the sheet.
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Counterweights for a beam raised through right angles
The beam is shown at a sequence of inclinations as it is pulled upright, and beside each position stands a diminishing weight — 2, 1½, 1, ½, ¼. Leonardo labels the study 'rectilinear motion produced through right angles,' treating how the balancing force changes as the beam turns toward the vertical.
Cord, pulley and hanging counterweights
A cord from the head of the beam passes over a pulley fixed at the upper right, and from it hang the oval weights that balance the beam at each stage. The arrangement lets a single falling weight lift the beam step by step.