...da Vinci Search and Seek
Leonardo da Vinci was a scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, painter, sculptor, architect, botanist,
musician and writer. As you walk through the Hall of Ideas today, see if you can spot some of Leonardo’s
concepts within the exhibits.
If Leonardo da Vinci were to paint a picture of you, you would have to sit perfectly still for a
very long time. Some say, Leonardo would employ singers, musicians, and jesters [clowns!] to keep his
subjects entertained while he painted their portraits. Take a peek at our big Fish Tank located in the
lobby. Do you know what a clownfish looks like? How many clownfish can you find swimming among
the sea anemone?
Let’s head into the museum. Leonardo was a keen observer of nature. He was fascinated
with fossils and the idea of moving water and he understood the principle of sedimentation. Sediment is
solid material that is moved and deposited in a new location. Rotate the disk at our Sedimentation
exhibit. Do the large beads or do the small beads settle to the bottom? Why?
Take the stairs up to the second floor and find the Nature’s Flavors & Fragrances exhibit.
Leonardo spent much of his time studying and drawing flowers and plants. Now take a sniff. Which of
these smell the best to you? In the space below, make a quick sketch of that particular plant or flower.
A wedge is one of the six simple machines. Leonardo used a wedge in his HumanPowered Ornithopter. “The wind that passes under the wing lifts it up just as a wedge lifts a weight.”
Take a look at the Mackinaw Boat and the Birch Bark Canoe. Can you find the wedge on both of these
vessels? (Here’s a hint: A knife is a wedge. It helps us “cut through” things.)
Alchemy was the forerunner of chemistry and was the process of transforming something
common into something special. Medieval European alchemists made some useful discoveries, including
mineral acids and alcohol. Leonardo was trained in the workshop of Verrocchio, who was thought to be
an able alchemist. Visit our Chemistry Table and see what happens when you combine Ti (#22) and O
(#8). What was created? How would Leonardo da Vinci have used this?
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Artists in Leonardo’s time would use paints made by hand from ground pigments of minerals
and other elements, and sometimes with tempera paint made with egg whites. Leonardo did something
other painters of his time didn’t do. Instead of mixing paints on his palette to create different colors, he
mixed the paint directly on the canvas. Visit our Paint Wall exhibit on the third floor. Try mixing colors
together and create your own unique work of art.
Geometry is all about shapes like lines, circles, and triangles. We know Leonardo devoted a
great deal of time to this area of mathematics which lead him to the idea, "There is no certainty where one
cannot apply any of the mathematical sciences." Make a geometrical design at our Stained Glass
Splendor exhibit. What did you design?
We know that Leonardo played a number of musical instruments. Leonardo thought music
second only to painting in his range of artistic talents. He created a mechanism which would allow
drummers to tighten or slacken skins with one hand and move the drumsticks using a system of cogs (a
wheel with projections). Take a seat at the Drum Set and see what you can play.
Leonardo da Vinci once observed, "An arch consists of two weaknesses which, leaning one
against the other, make a strength." Sometime around 1485-1487, Leonardo devised a method for
building a self-supporting arched bridge that doesn’t require any ropes or other fasteners. The bridge’s
own weight keeps it together. Stop by our Catenary Arch exhibit and see if you can construct a selfsupporting arch.