Museo Galileo
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Model illustrating the human arm as third-order lever
    • Setting:
      Room XII
    • Maker:
      unknown
    • Date:
      second half 18th cent.
    • Materials:
      wood, lead, brass, silk
    • Dimensions:
      725x180x510 mm
    • Inventory:
      1010
    • Model illustrating the human arm as third-order lever (Inv. 1010)

This rare and unusual mechanical apparatus illustrates the analogy between the human arm and a third-order lever: the fulcrum is the elbow, the effort is provided by the muscle attached to the forearm, and the load consists of a weight held in the hand. The wooden skeleton of the arm, forearm, and hand is attached to a marbled wooden table. The shifts in the weights suspended from the arm show the arm's movement. When the weights descend, the hand rises. Provenance: Lorraine collections.