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LEONARDO DA VINCI - Static measurement of muscular force


Ms. H (IFP), fols. 43v-44r

In the left-hand drawing, Leonardo uses pulleys and weights to measure the force of the muscles in the head, bust, arms, and legs of a crouching figure. The study is probably linked to Leonardo's project of a human-driven flying machine. The right-hand drawing illustrates the measurement of muscular force in the upper limb.

In the first of the two sketches, each rope attached to the elbow and hand carries a hundred-pound weight. In the second, the hand carries a 120-pound weight.

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