VENI VIDI DA VINCI

Collections Newsletter Guild About Developers Patron Sign In

Library/Paris Manuscript L/91

Prev91 / 196Next

Paris Manuscript L — 91

100%

Reset zoom

Bibliothèque de l'Institut de France, Paris

De percussione.

Il moto reflesso sarà tanto più debole, quanto esso fia più corto.

Quel moto refresso sarà più corto, il quale si causa da maggiore percussione.

Quella percussione sarà di maggiore potenzia, che fia fatta in fra angoli più equali.

In fra le percussioni fatte in fra equali angoli, quella sarà di maggiore valitudine, la quale si causa in più denso obbietto.

E nelle percussioni fatte nelli obbietti d'equal densità, quella sarà più potente, che arà il suo obbietto di maggior resistenzia.

Percussione di corpo sferico:

Tanto più si volta il corpo sperico nel moto refresso, quanto la percussione è fatta infra più disequali angoli.

On percussion.

On percussion.

Reflected motion will be the weaker, the shorter it is.

That reflected motion will be shorter which is caused by the greater impact.

That impact will be of greater power which is made between more equal angles.

Among impacts made between equal angles, the one of greater strength will be that which is caused in a denser object.

And among impacts made on objects of equal density, the more powerful will be the one whose object has greater resistance.

Impact of a spherical body:

The spherical body turns the more in its reflected motion, the more the impact is made between more unequal angles.

The Laws of Impact and Reflected Motion

How angle, density and resistance of the struck body govern the rebound

Physics & Mechanics Geometry

Under the heading 'On percussion', Leonardo sets down a chain of propositions on how a body rebounds after striking: reflected motion is weaker the shorter it is, and shorter the greater the impact that caused it. He argues that a blow has more power when made between more equal angles, that among equal-angle blows the denser and more resistant object yields the stronger impact, and that a sphere spins more in its rebound the more unequal the angles of the strike. A small sketch of a ball on a line at the foot of the page illustrates the impact. Further untranscribed lines appear at the very bottom of the sheet.

On this page

Reflected motion is weaker the shorter it is

Reflected motion grows weaker the shorter its course, and it is shortest when produced by the greatest impact. A blow carries most power when delivered between more equal angles; among equal-angle blows the one struck on a denser object is strongest, and among objects of equal density the more resistant one yields the more powerful impact.

A sphere spins more when struck at unequal angles

A spherical body turns the more in its reflected motion, the more the impact is made between unequal angles. This links the rotation imparted to a ball directly to the asymmetry of its strike.

Reader's Edition — described with AI from the e-Leo transcription.