Balanced rods: weight, resistance and the center of support
A body seems heavier the weaker its resistance; resistance weakens as its center leaves the support line
The sheet is filled with diagrams of balanced rods (aste bilanciate) carrying weights — small rings and hooks — hung at their ends, two of them marked '2 4'. From them Leonardo draws a rule of the balance: a body shows itself the heavier the weaker its resistance. And a weight's resistance is the weaker the more remote its center lies from the central line of its support (fermamento).
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Weight, resistance and distance from the support line
The body that will show itself heavier is the one with the weaker resistance. A weight has weaker resistance when its center is more remote from the central line of its fastening or support. Two of the balanced rods are marked '2 4'.