A Turning Wheel and the Loading of Its Pole
Red-chalk note on how rotation throws weight onto one side of the axle
In red chalk Leonardo observes that a wheel turned upon its pole makes one part of that pole grow lighter while the other grows heavier by much more than double its former load, since the pole cannot leave its place. Beneath the note two small diagrams appear: a weight hung from a slender vertical rod and a wheel drawn face-on with its crossed axle at the hub. The reflection belongs to his studies of weights and equilibrium.
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Rotation throws the load onto one side of the pole
Leonardo states that when a wheel is turned about its fixed pole, one part of that pole is relieved of weight while the opposite part is burdened with far more than double the load it bore before, because the pole cannot shift from its position.
Wheel drawn in plan with a crossed axle
A wheel is sketched face-on with two perpendicular spokes crossing at its hub, paired with a weight suspended from a thin upright rod. The two small figures are the visual counterpart to the note on how a turning wheel loads its pole.