Impact and the Launching of Darts
Why a blow breaks a pole's top, and why a checked rod speeds its dart
Drawn in pen over earlier red-chalk sketches, this page studies impact and the launching of projectiles. Beside a single word for a chasm or whirlpool, Leonardo asks why the blow of a shaft breaks the top of a pole low down, and why a dart leaving a rod flies faster when the rod's motion is suddenly checked at point h. The sketches show broken shafts, sweeping arcs and darts marked with the letters f, g, n, h and m. A further short inscription appears untranscribed at the head of the sheet.
On this page
Why an impact breaks the top of a pole
Leonardo asks why the percussion of one shaft snaps the top of a pole low down rather than where it is struck. The question is put directly to the reader beside the drawing of a broken shaft.
A checked rod speeds its dart
With the parts labelled f, g, n, h and m, Leonardo notes that the arrangement drives strongly forward. He asks why, when the motion of m n is impeded at h, the dart leaving the rod flies faster than when the motion is not impeded.