Quadrature studies: lunes and proportional circles
Portions, triangles and lunes of circles in double, quadruple and sixteen-fold proportion
The verso continues Leonardo's investigation of squaring the circle. Semicircles, sectors, triangles and lunes are compared through circles standing in double, quadruple and sixteen-fold proportion, repeatedly using the rule that the quarter of a greater circle equals the whole lesser, or its eighth equals half the lesser. He sketches a plan to make a square, remove a circle, square the remainder with its four concavities, and so obtain a square equal to the circle. A small memorandum of 66 baiocchi is jotted in the right margin.
On this page
A triangle equal to the remainder of the semicircles (n a b m)
The triangle a b, once the two portions n m are taken away, is worth the remainder of each semicircle from which the value of the two greatest portions n m is drawn. Therefore half of the triangle a b is worth half of that remainder.
Circles in quadruple proportion
Of circles quadruple to one another, the quarter of the greater is worth the whole of the lesser, so the eighth of the greater is worth half the lesser. Hence the portion of the quarter part of the greater equals the four portions of the lesser, and its half-portion equals the two portions of the lesser's half.
Circles sixteen times one another (s b n o c f m i h)
Of circles that are sixteen times one greater than the other, the sixteenth part of the one is worth the lesser circle, and half of the lesser circle is worth the thirty-second part of the greater. The figure is marked a b quarter, c o n eighth, h i m sixteenth.
Squaring the remainder of a square minus a circle
Leonardo plans to make a square and take a circle from it, then square the remainder, which carries the concavities of four portions. Having squared that remainder, he subtracts it from the greater square, and the remaining square is equal to the circle.
A note of 66 baiocchi
In the right margin, amid the geometry, a small money memorandum records 66 baiocchi, with a stray 6 beneath it.
