1 - Introduction & Rationale.
INTRODUCTION
The philosopher Pythagoras
(yes, the one for the a2 + b2 = c2 triangle theorem!)
suggested that the universe is made up of numbers.
He was fascinated that the relationship of the things in the universe
can be described in numbers (Frost, 1962).
Likewise, Da Vinci was amongst other things,
interested in proportions and numerical relationships.
One of his more famous drawings, the vitruvian man,
proposed that a person's arm span is equal to that of the person's height.
RATIONALE
Here are the contributing reasons for choosing this topic:
1. We are interested in finding out how advanced
Da Vinci’s theories were for his time.
2. Finding out whether his theory about the body proportion of
a 15th century man is still applicable in the 21st century.
3. Some healthcare settings measure wing span of the patient
as an alternative to height.
We want to find out if the two are correlated.
HISTORY
The Vitruvian man and body proportions
Da Vinci’s concept for the drawing of the Vitruvian man
came from Vitruvius, who proposed:
“in the human body the central point is naturally the navel.
For if a man can be placed flat on his back,
with his hands and feet extended,
and a pair of compasses centered at his navel,
the fingers and toes of his two hands and feet
will touch the circumference of a circle described therefrom.
And just as the human body yields a circular outline,
so too a square figure may be found from it.
For if we measure the distance
from the soles of the feet to the top of the head,
and then apply that measure to the outstretched arms,
the breadth will be found to be the same as the height,
as in the case of plane surfaces which are completely square.”
(Marcus Vitruvius, De Architectura, Book III, Chapter 1, p 3)
Leonardo started by drawing a perfectly proportioned man
and then found the circle and square in the figure.
In a square, length = breadth.
Therefore, wing span = height.
