LEONARDO DA VINCI 1452-1519

Leonardo da VINCI Vinci, 1452–Amboise, 1519 Squaring the Annulus of a Circle; Various Attempts at Squaring Pen and brown ink About 1505 His whole life long, Leonardo dreamed of squaring the circle. In the late 19th century, Ferdinand von Lindemann proved that the ‘true squaring’ of the circle was impos- sible using the Greek geometrical tools (straightedge and compass), due to the nature of π. Here, Leonardo attempts to square the annulus – the area between two concentric circles. Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Milan, Codex Atlanticus, folio 640 recto Leonardo da VINCI Vinci, 1452–Amboise, 1519 Compasses, Squaring and Other Operations Pen and brown ink About 1513–1516 Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Milan, Codex Atlanticus, fol. 696R 114 115