Rebound of colliding bodies and the power of the natural blow
Collisions at unequal distances, a body struck from two sides, and a mallet figure
A page of Moto and Colpo propositions with marginal collision diagrams (clustered circles numbered 34, 31, 32, 33) and a figure labelled 'mallet'. Leonardo states that when the starts of three motions are unequally spaced their bounces are unequal and rotating, and that a body meeting two others equal to itself makes the greater bounce and takes the middle way, being struck in two places. He concludes that a body driven downward by a blow delivers a greater blow than it receives, that the blow born of a natural-motion rebound is very powerful, and that natural motion is faster than motion increased by force and blow.
On this page
A body struck by two others takes the middle way
A body meeting two others equal to it in quality and motion makes a greater bounce than the rest and cannot escape between equal angles of its percussion; struck in two places, it takes the middle path. Unequally spaced starts give unequal, rotating rebounds.
Descending blow greater than the one received
The descent that a body driven by a blow makes gives its target a much greater blow than the one it itself received, converting the imparted motion into a stronger stroke.
Power of the natural-motion rebound
The blow caused by the bounce of natural motion is of great power, for natural motion is faster than motion increased by force and blow; a thing moved by curved force runs along the line of the undoing of the driving force.
Collision diagrams and the mallet
The right margin carries clusters of touching circles (two, three, and four bodies) numbered 34, 31, 32 and 33, plus a hammer-like figure labelled 'mallet', illustrating the collision and rebound cases.