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Peer-reviewed article

Giovanni Canestrini’s models of Leonardo da Vinci’s friction experiments

October 19, 2016 | Exhibitions
Among the exhibits at the 2016 Leonardo da Vinci exhibition at the Science Museum, London, was one that purported to illustrate Leonardo’s experiments on friction. The models involved were the work of Giovanni Canestrini (1893–1975) who contributed to the 1939 and 1953 Leonardo exhibitions in Milan. This article discusses the original sources and history of these models, in the light of recent research into Leonardo’s work on friction. It concludes that, while being relevant to Leonardo’s study of mechanics, these models seriously misrepresent his experimental investigations of friction.

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  • Ian Hutchings
    Author
    University of Cambridge
  • Citation

    ISSN : 2054-5770
    DOI : 10.15180/160602
    Publication Name: Science Museum Group Journal
    Volume: 6
    Resource Type: Research Products
    Discipline: Physics
    Audience: General Public | Museum/ISE Professionals
    Environment Type: Exhibitions | Museum and Science Center Exhibits

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