Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci (circa 1487)

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Vitruvian Man by
Leonardo da Vinci
(circa 1487)
1
veo, phys102
“Then again, in the human body the central point is naturally
the navel. For if a man be placed flat on his back, with his hands
and feet extended, and a pair of compasses centred at his navel,
the fingers and toes of his two hands and feet will touch the
circumference of a circle described therefrom. And just as the
human body yields a circular outline, so too a square figure may
be found from it. For if we measure the distance from the soles
of the feet to the top of the head, and then apply that measure
to the outstretched arms, the breadth will be found to be the
same as the height, as in the case of plane surfaces which are
perfectly square.” - De Architectura, Vol 3.
Unlike earlier depictions of the “Vitruvian Man”, in Leonardo’s
version, the center of the circle and the center of the square do
not coincide.
When the legs are spread and the arms are lifted, can you
estimate how much would the center-of-gravity would move?
2
veo, phys102
http://davecskatingphoto.com/photos_2010_euros.html (CC BY-SA 3.0)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28716181@N00/3256248191 (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Center-of-gravity for the human body is located below the navel.
3
veo, phys102
Vitruvius
1st century BC. Roman writer,
architect, engineer.
Lunar crater Vitruvius
Wrote De Architectura - Ten Volumes
on Architecture.
Dedicated to Caesar Augustus,
heir to the famous Julius Caesar…
4
veo, phys102
Volume 7, Chapter 8
“If the quicksilver is poured into a vessel, and
a stone weighing one hundred pounds is laid
upon it, the stone swims on the surface, and
cannot depress the liquid, nor break through,
nor separate it. If we remove the hundred
pound weight, and put on a scruple of gold, it
will not swim, but will sink to the bottom of its
own accord. Hence, it is undeniable that the
gravity of a substance depends not on the
amount of its weight, but on its nature.”
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/20239/20239-h/29239-h.htm#Page_215
5
veo, phys102
1609-1619
Brahe - Kepler
Kepler’s Laws: elliptical orbits, sweep equal areas in
equal times, T2∝a3
Copernicus, 1543: De
6
revolutionibus orbium
coelestium
veo, phys102
http://astro.unl.edu/naap/pos/animations/kepler.swf
7
veo, phys102
Hooke-Wren-Halley
1675
ceiiinosssttuv:
Ut tensio, sic vis
1684 - A bet for 40 shillings worth of books.
8
veo, phys102