Descending Canal: the Upper Water Overtakes the Lower
How the top and bottom layers of a stream swap places after a drop
A red-chalk study of a canal on a slope, its points lettered a, b, n, o. Leonardo argues that the upper water descends more swiftly than the lower, so that after the descent the layer that was on top ends up beneath, the lower part converting into the upper; beyond the greater descent the lower part then moves faster than the upper. A channel diagram runs across the lower half of the sheet, and the upper half carries an additional red-chalk drawing not covered by the transcription.
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Layers of a descending stream trade places
In a canal running downhill (points a, b, n, o) the upper water descends more swiftly than the lower. After the descent the water that was above remains below, the lower part converting into the upper, and beyond the greatest descent the lower part moves faster than the upper.