Shadow of a Pyramid, with a Friction Study
A pyramid's shadow loses its shape, a friction sketch, and a measured figure
The page continues the pyramid-shadow investigation of the previous leaf. A lower diagram lettered a b–c n m e d shows a pyramidal body a b throwing shadows n, m, e and d onto a receiving surface c d, with marginal notes arguing that the shadows fall out of scale by 'continuous proportion' and no longer resemble the pyramid at a distance. Above, a triangle carries the numbers 340, 64, 200 and 325, and a small sketch of paired rollers is captioned a study of friction.
On this page
A pyramid's shadow loses its shape with distance
Labelling the pyramidal body a b and the receiving surface c d, Leonardo tracks the shadows n, m, e and d against the wall. He notes that n and m reach it but out of scale, e falls short and d overreaches, proving that at a distance the pyramid's shadow no longer resembles the pyramid.
Study of friction
A separate sketch of two rollers set in a frame is captioned a study of friction. It sits among the shadow diagrams toward the upper left of the sheet.
Pyramidal figure with measurements
A triangle marked with the numbers 340, 64, 200 and 325 sets out the proportions of a pyramidal figure. It heads the sheet above the shadow studies.