Caption

Forces on beams. Historical artwork of the effect of forces on beams supported at both ends. These drawings were made by Leonardo da Vinci (1452- 1519) in around 1490. This work is theoretical and he carried out no experiments. The notes are in mirror writing, a technique Leonardo da Vinci used to keep his ideas secret. The branch of physics concerned with the study of forces on bodies and the motions that result is called mechanics.