Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian ManLeonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man shows how the proportions of the human body fit perfectly into acircle or a square. With these proportions, your arm span (distance from fingertip to fingertip) shouldbe equal to your height (distance from head to heels). In this laboratory exercise, you will see if this istrue! In this activity you will explore the legitimacy of Vitruvius' theory by developing a hypothesisregarding the Vitruvian Man.Background InformationLeonardo da Vinci, a famous Italian renaissance inventor and painter, was greatly influenced by aman named Vitruvius. Vitruvius was a Roman engineer and architect during the first century B.C.Vitruvius discovered a formula to model what he thought were ideal proportions for a man. Da Vinciused this ideal model when drawing the Vitruvian Man in about the year 1490.The drawing shows a man standing in a square, which is inside a circle. The man has two pair ofoutstretched arms and two pair of outstretched legs. These are some of the proportions given for theVitruvian Man:• The span of the man's arms is equal to his height.• The width of his shoulders is one-fourth of his height.• The distance from the top of his head to the middle of his chest is one-fourth of his height.• The distance from the middle of his chest to the top of his leg is one-fourth of his height.• The distance from the top of his leg to the bottom of his knee is one-fourth of his height.• The distance from the bottom of his knee to the bottom of his foot is one-fourth of his height.1 OBJECTIVEYou will learn and practice the scientific method by measuring human dimensions.A hypothesis is a possible explanation for a set of observations or an answer to a scientific question.A hypothesis is useful only if it can be tested. Testable bynothesis are generally written in aformalized format using an if/then statement.If my car does not start because the battery is dead, then when I replace the old battery with anew one it will start.If increasing physical activity causes a person to burn calories and lose weight, then I shouldlose weight if I run 2 miles a day and do not increase my calorie intake.A formalized, hypothesis contains both a dependent and an independent variable. The independentvariable in the one that YOU change and the dependent variable is the one you observe and measureto collect data. Using the if-then format, If I change temperature, then what will happen to movement.Temperature is the independent variable because I change it and movement is the dependentvariable because it is the one that is observed to look for change. Using the if-then format forces thescientist to think about what results are expected.The subject of the exercise is Leonardo da Vinci's drawing Vitruvian Man. You will focus on theprimary proportion of the drawing, "The span of the man's arms is equal to his height." You will test ahypothesis regarding Vitruvius' theory on human proportions.The scientific method consists of the following steps:1. From observations, state a question2. Write a hypothesis3. Design an experiment to test the hypothesis4. Gather data by doing the experiment5. Analyze the data6. Write and explain your conclusionMATERIALSMeasuring TapeMasking tapeChalkPROCEEDURE1. Write an if-then hypothesis based on Vitruvius' theory relating arm span and height. Record yourhypothesis on the student answer page. Example hypothesis:Remember to use metric units (centimeters)If the Vitruvian Man ratio/theory isThen the arm span and height will be the(correct/incorrect):(same/different).(pick one)(pick one)2. Working with a partner, measure your arm span by standing against a flat surface and spreadingyour arms out as far as possible. Have your partner measure the distance from the longest finger onone hand to the tip of the longest finger on the other hand. Measure to the nearest centimeter.Record measurements in Data Table 1.3. Repeat step two on your partner.4. Remove your shoes and have your partner measure your height as you stand against a flatsurface. Measure the distance from the top of your head to the floor. Measure to the nearestcentimeter. Record measurements in Data Table 1.5. Repeat step 4 on your partner.6. Calculate the difference between your arm span and your height (arm span-height)7. Go back and make a conclusion on your original hypothesis-- Was it right or wrong??2

By embracing the scientific method, participants embark on a journey of measurement, hypothesis…

Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man shows how the proportions of the human body fit perfectly into a circle or a square. With these proportions, your arm span (distance from fingertip to fingertip) should be equal to your height (distance from head to heels). In this laboratory exercise, you will see if this is true! In this activity you will explore the legitimacy of Vitruvius' theory by developing a hypothesis regarding the Vitruvian Man. Background Information Leonardo da Vinci, a famous Italian renaissance inventor and painter, was greatly influenced by a man named Vitruvius. Vitruvius was a Roman engineer and architect during the first century B.C. Vitruvius discovered a formula to model what he thought were ideal proportions for a man. Da Vinci used this ideal model when drawing the Vitruvian Man in about the year 1490. The drawing shows a man standing in a square, which is inside a circle. The man has two pair of outstretched arms and two pair of outstretched legs. These are some of the proportions given for the Vitruvian Man: • The span of the man's arms is equal to his height. • The width of his shoulders is one-fourth of his height. • The distance from the top of his head to the middle of his chest is one-fourth of his height. • The distance from the middle of his chest to the top of his leg is one-fourth of his height. • The distance from the top of his leg to the bottom of his knee is one-fourth of his height. • The distance from the bottom of his knee to the bottom of his foot is one-fourth of his height.

11th Edition

ISBN:9780134580999

Author:Elaine N. Marieb, Katja N. Hoehn

Publisher:Elaine N. Marieb, Katja N. Hoehn

Chapter1: The Human Body: An Orientation

Section: Chapter Questions

Problem 1RQ: The correct sequence of levels forming the structural hierarchy is A. (a) organ, organ system,...