Leonardo da Vinci's designs for perpetual motion machines, while fascinating, do not function as intended due to the laws of physics. The discussion highlights that Leonardo acknowledged the impossibility of perpetual motion by referencing Newton's Third Law of Motion, which states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. The machines are marketed as art pieces rather than functional devices, and the conversation also touches on the historical context of these ideas, including the influence of Zeno's paradox.
PREREQUISITESHistorians, physics enthusiasts, art historians, and anyone interested in the intersection of science and art during the Renaissance period.
dkotschessaa said:Obviously they don't work, perpetually, but they're really cool anyway:
http://www.leonardodavincisinventions.com/mechanical-inventions/leonardo-perpetual-motion-machine/
0.5, 0.25, 0.125, wait for it, wait for it...Borek said:
Now, this is very interesting. Newton ascribed the discovery of the third law to his contemporaries in the Royal Society. He wasn't aware anyone had realized it or voiced it before them. That being the case, it is intriguing to see Leonardo had written it down as far back as the Renaissance. I am now curious to know if there's any record of it before Leonardo anywhere.
The very first thing that came to mind upon seeing this was Zeno's paradox. I wonder what sort of person this makes me...berkeman said: