Da+Vinci's+inventions

=Da Vinci's Inventions. By Luca.= =Leonardo Da Vinci was born on April 15th, 1452 in a Tuscan town called Vinci. In 1466 he got his first job as an apprentice to the master painter and sculptor Verrocchio. By 1478 Leonardo was a master in his own right and took his first commission. In 1482 he went to work for the duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza. He was the dukes chief engineer and worked on military projects and as an architect. During this time he also worked with the mathematician Luca Pacioli on the Divina Proportione. From 1506 to 1512 Leonardo divided his time between Milan and Florence serving as the court painter to Louis XII and working on his own projects. In 1516 he traveled to France to serve King Francis I, he lived here until he died on May 2nd, 1519.= =A machine for everything: Leonardo Da Vinci's inventions are made for almost every occasion. He had ideas for war, music, around the house, flight, work, theatrical, hydraulic machines, and more.= =A master of war: Leonardo was a inventor of war machines as well as peaceful machines. One invention was the bombard in action. It was a mortar-like weapon that was a somewhat long range weapon that would explode and send fragmentation every where. Though something like this already existed Da Vinci made his own version. An interesting feature on this device was a worm screw that made the angle of the cannon barrel go up and down, this allowed the person using the mortar to aim more precisely. The cannon balls of this device were leather balls filled with explosive metal balls that would send smaller metal balls every where. It resolved in a device that could take out many enemy troops at one time.= =Aerial screw: The ariel screw was Leonardo's idea of a helicopter. it was a screw like invention that was supposed to screw into the air like how a screw goes into wood. There were two ways it could have supposedly worked; one is that a few men would pull a rip cord and it would fly up into the air; another is if a few men pushed on polls on the center beam and it would fly upwards. The men pushing the polls would either fly up with the machine or it would go up by itself. There is no proof that this ever was made or tested on a full scale. This is the first time the spiral form was applied to flight.= =Canal excavating crane: It was a huge early crane that transported workers and dirt. It was very useful because it could be moved from place to place on tracks. It was basically a giant pulley system with two arms and a really big wheel that worked like a dumb waiter. It could reach workers on as many as three levels. And the workers also used it as an elevator. It wouldn't only excavate canals it could also excavate flat land as well.= =Leonardo was a true renaissance man. He towered over all other scientists, painters, and inventors of his time. His precise documentation and observation are what made him so great. (plus the Mona Lisa helped.)= =Links: David's Page =