Which of four arcs bends most under equal weight
Comparing the deflection of four bows a, b, c, d loaded alike
Down the right margin four arcs — a, b, c and d — are drawn, each carrying a weight of 4, alongside a beam hung with four weights. If all the arcs are curved or bent by the same quantity of weight, Leonardo asks which ought to show the greater deflection, that is, the greater curvature (saetta): the arc a, the arc b, c, or d.
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Which arc curves most under an equal load
The four arcs a, b, c and d are each bent by the same quantity of weight; the reader is asked which will have the most deflection — the most curvature — a, b, c, or d.