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Researchers Astonished by Leonardo da Vinci's Centuries-Ahead Experiments
In a recent publication in the journal Leonardo, scholars examined one of Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks and discovered that the polymath had conceived special experiments to demonstrate gravity as a form of acceleration.
Leonardo da Vinci even constructed a model of gravitational constant with approximately 97% accuracy.
Da Vinci (1452 - 1519) was ahead of his time in discovering this concept. It wasn't until 1604 that Galileo Galilei proposed the hypothesis that the distance a freely falling object travels is proportional to the square of the time. Later, not until the late 17th century did Isaac Newton develop the law of universal gravitation and describe how objects attract each other.
Leonardo da Vinci's main obstacle lay in the limitations of his tools. Evidence suggests he lacked the apparatus to accurately measure the time of falling objects.
Da Vinci's Unique Experiment Unveiled by Mory Gharib, Professor of Aerospace Engineering and Biomedical Engineering. This experiment is found in the Codex Arundel, a collection of Da Vinci's notes on science, art, and personal interests.
Specifically, in early 2017, while studying Da Vinci's fluid dynamics to discuss with graduate students, Professor Gharib noticed a series of sketches depicting triangles formed by seeds like sand grains poured from a jar.
To analyze the notes, Professor Gharib collaborated with Associate Professor Chris Roh at Cornell University and Dr. Flavio Noca at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland. Dr. Flavio Noca provided translations of Da Vinci's notes in Italian.
In these notes, Da Vinci described an experiment involving the horizontal movement of a water basin parallel to the ground, causing water or granular materials (likely sand) to spill along the path. Da Vinci's annotations indicate that he observed water or sand not falling at a constant speed but accelerating.
Because it is unaffected by the container, the material stops accelerating horizontally, while the acceleration only points downward due to gravity.
Thus, if the basin moves at a constant speed, the straight line formed by the falling object will be vertical and therefore not form any triangles. Conversely, if the basin accelerates uniformly, the straight line formed by the falling materials will have a slanted direction, forming a triangle.
Additionally, Da Vinci's notes also indicate that if the container accelerates at the same rate as the falling object accelerated by gravity, it will create an equilateral triangle.
According to researchers, Leonardo Da Vinci attempted to describe this acceleration but was unsuccessful. The research team used computer models to conduct Da Vinci's water basin experiment and discovered the error that the famous artist encountered.
Associate Professor Chris Roh stated: 'We observed that Leonardo Da Vinci modeled it as the distance of the falling object being proportional to the time raised to the power of 2, instead of the square of time.'
Professor Gharib further explained that the research team was unsure if Da Vinci conducted any deeper experiments. However, the fact remains that he grappled with this issue in the early 1500s. This demonstrates how advanced his thinking was.
Rare Polymath
Leonardo da Vinci is often known as a gifted artist. However, he was also an architect, anatomist, inventor, musician, doctor, and natural philosopher from Italy. Leonardo da Vinci astounded posterity with ideas ahead of his time and groundbreaking creativity.
Born in 1452 in a village near Vinci, on the outskirts of Florence, central Italy. At birth, he was not only interested in how the human body or nature appeared in paintings but also wanted to understand why they appeared that way. Through meticulous study of all the muscles related to smiling, Da Vinci created the masterpiece of the Mona Lisa with a mysteriously enigmatic gaze on her face.
In addition, Leonardo da Vinci also spent a lot of time studying human anatomy. Particularly, he had a habit of writing in reverse from right to left. His handwriting can only be read normally when viewed in a mirror.
Leonardo da Vinci's art combines biology, chemistry, engineering, mathematics, and physics. His talent was greatly appreciated by King Francis I of France. Consequently, he was titled 'Painter, Engineer, and First Architect to the King' when he was over 60 years old.
Leonardo da Vinci may be best known in the art world, but it is clear that he was also a scientist, a great artist with deep knowledge in many fields.
Sources: Phys, Newsthink, Britannica
