Calculations for a tackle: rope drawn versus load raised
A column of figures with two rules relating the number of wheels to rope and travel
Beneath reversed text the leaf is filled with columns of arithmetic — figures such as 1080, 480 and 102400 worked down the page. Two rules conclude the note: the descent of the counterweight exceeds the rise of the greater weight in proportion to the number of wheels, and the length of rope wound onto the winch exceeds the height the load is raised by the same ratio. The calculations quantify the trade-off of travel for force in a compound tackle.
On this page
Counterweight travels farther than the load in proportion to the wheels
As great as the number of wheels, so much more does the counterweight descend than the greater weight rises; and so much greater is the length of rope gathered by the winch than the height the load is lifted. It states the distance-for-force trade of a pulley train.
Column of worked figures
A column of numerals, including 1080, 480 and 102400, is worked down the page, evidently reckoning the rope lengths and loads of the tackle. The arithmetic supports the proportional rules stated in the prose.