Percussion studies and a compass proportion puzzle
Motion at the thirds of a staff, a cutting blow, an anvil, and opening a five-braccia compass
The page gathers early studies in percussion and motion: a note that a movement made at the third of a staff enters three times into the motion of its top, while the movement at the middle enters twice, and a maxim that anything severed by a cutting blow parts from its remainder with fury. Pen sketches show an anvil on an oval support being struck at its tip by a hammer, and the same anvil tipping forward under a weight, without accompanying text. Toward the inner margin, two views of a compass (open and closed, with the hinge and feet lettered a, b, c and d, e) accompany a proportion problem: a compass five braccia high when closed is to be opened until its top lowers by one braccio, and Leonardo asks how far the feet will then spread. Further untranscribed writing is present on the sheet beyond the four blocks given here.
On this page
Motion at the divisions of a staff
A movement made at the third of a staff enters three times into the motion of the staff's top, and the movement made at the middle enters twice into that motion. The two joined staves form a V spanned by arcs, the one-third point marked a and b.
A cutting blow parts with fury
Anything divided by a cutting blow parts from its remainder with fury. The sketch shows a staff struck by a hatchet, the severed piece flying upward and away.
Anvil struck by a hammer
An anvil set on an oval support is struck at its very tip by a hammer; just below, the same anvil is shown tipping forward under a rectangular weight. No text accompanies these figures.
Opening a five-braccia compass
A compass five braccia high when closed is to be opened so that its top lowers by one braccio, and the question is how far the feet will then spread. Two views show the open compass with hinge a and feet b and c, and the closed compass with hinge d and feet together at e.