The Six Cases of Squaring Crescents and Lunes
Rules for reshaping curved surfaces by taking, giving back, and lending portions between figures
A geometrical page that opens by enumerating six 'cases' for working curved portions and crescents, from simply taking and giving back the same value to making one curved surface in a required proportion to another. Leonardo then applies them to square a crescent by lending peripheries between figures, proving that the crescent a b n c f equals the triangle g f p and that a crescent's point equals a portion because the circles from which the peripheries are cut stand in fixed proportion. Further constructions divide a remainder into equal triangles meeting on the chord of an arc and reduce curved surfaces to rectilinear ones. The sheet is covered with small arc, lune and triangle figures illustrating each step.
On this page
The six cases of working portions and crescents
Leonardo lists six operations: first, take and give back the same thing from another part; second, take in one surface-figure and return its value in another; third, take from two parts of a surface and return the value in one place; fourth, lend a quantity to two equal surfaces of various figures; fifth, make one curvilinear surface in various figures; sixth, make a curved surface in a required proportion to another.
Squaring the crescent by lending peripheries
Since a b c f is worth a n f p, drawing off the portion a n f from each leaves the crescent a b n c f equal to the triangle g f p; taking a portion and a half outside and returning three small portions squares it as o b n c e f. The crescent's point a b o equals portion a o, because portion a b is double a o, the parent circles being double one another and their eighth-portions in the same proportion.
Dividing the remainder into equal triangles on the chord
In figure a b c d, take away the four portions and divide the remainder into four parts equal in value, each triangular, with the angles meeting at a point upon the chord of the arc.
Squaring the curvilinear crescent a o b n c K
Having squared the crescent a o b n c e f by taking and returning the same value, and matched it to triangle g f p, Leonardo squares the curvilinear crescent a o b n c K: he removes a portion and a half from the outer side at a b and b c and returns the same value inside with three small portions, then cuts equal black angle-points from crescent and portion so the remainders stay equal.
