Provides a frequently overlooked perspective on the work of Leonardo da Vinci as part of a collective effort that formed the foundation of the scientific and technological Renaissance Includes numerous illustrations from a range of original sources to allow for easy and pleasant reading Accessible to anyone with a high school-level understanding of science and technology

Autorentext

Plinio Innocenzi is a full professor of Materials Science and Materials Technology at the University of Sassari and has a special interest in science popularization at different levels. He has a doctorate in physics but attended a Classic Lyceum dedicated to Humanities, Art, Latin, and Greek, which is why he has always maintained a multidisciplinary vision and developed a special passion for the connections between science and art. He has dedicated particular attention in recent years to Leonardo's scientific work and has participated in numerous conferences and festivals on the topic. This book is the result of Prof. Innocenzi's desire to make general readers more aware of the multifaceted origins of scientific and technological knowledge.

Inhalt
Foreword.- Preface.- Note to the Readers.- Abbreviations.- 1 Leonardo and the "Others": Engineers and Inventors of the Early Italian Renaissance.- 2 Cupolas and Machines.- 3 A Codex "Atlanticus": A Book Thief, Jokes, and Fake Bicycles.- 4 Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines.- 5 Flotation, Walking on Water, and Diving Under the Sea.- 6 Paddle Boats, Submarines, and Other Sea Vessels.- 7 Wind Chariots and "Automobiles".- 8 Perpetuum Mobile.- 9 Homo ad Circulum.- 10 A Friend, an Enigmatic Portrait, and Two Duchesses.- 11 The Divine Proportion.- 12 The Geometry of Shapes and Unfashionable Headgear.- 13 The Measure of Time.- 14 Mission Impossible: Squaring the Circle.- 15 A Lost Industrial Revolution and Leonardo's Gun.- 16 Beyond Leonardo.- Appendix 1.- Appendix 2.