Ballistics of Bombards: Ball Weight, Powder and Range
Proportional problems on projectile weight and charge, closing with 'science is the captain'
A page of prose questions, entirely in mirror-writing with no diagrams, posing three ballistics problems about bombards. Leonardo asks how far a gun that throws a 100-pound ball three miles would throw balls of other weights, how much more powder is needed to double a shot's range, and how far a larger charge will drive the same ball. The page ends with the famous maxim that science is the captain and practice are the soldiers.
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Range of a bombard for different ball weights
If a bombard at its full power throws a ball of 100 pounds three miles, the question is how far it will throw one of 200 or 300 pounds, or of any other weight greater or smaller than a hundred. The problem treats gun range as varying with projectile weight.
Powder charge against range
If four pounds of powder drive a four-pound ball two miles, how much powder must be added to carry it four miles; and if four pounds send it two miles, how far will six pounds send it. The questions seek the proportion between charge and distance.