1. Leonardo
Da Vinci’s
Vitruvian Man

2. The 'Vitruvian Man' is a famous drawing with accompanying notes by Leonardo da Vinci made around the year 1492 in one of his journals. It depicts a naked male figure in two superimposed positions with his arms and legs apart and simultaneously inscribed in a circle and square. The drawing and text are sometimes called the Canon of Proportions or, less often, Proportions of Man. It is on display in the Gallerie dell' Accademia in Venice, Italy.

3. “…the length of a man's outspread arms is equal to his height …”
According to Leonardo's notes in the accompanying text (written in mirror writing) it was made as a study of the proportions of the (male) human body as described by the Ancient Roman architect Vitruvius, who wrote that in the human body:
Arm Span
Height
“…the length of a man's outspread arms is equal to his height …”

4. Height is equal to arm span
The Vitruvian theory contains a total of 10 ratios between different parts of the body.
Can you verify four of these ratios using data collected from your class?
Here is a reminder of the first:
Height is equal to arm span
Arm Span
Height

5. 2.
Length from the elbow to the end of the hand is equal to one quarter of height
Elbow to end of hand
Height

6. Length of the hand is one tenth of height3.
Length of the hand is one tenth of height
Hand
Height 4.
Length of the foot is one seventh of height
Foot

7. Is the Vitruvian theory that height is equal to arm span true for British students today?
Complete the following tables by making the appropriate measurements of yourself and your classmates.

8. Height is equal to arm span
Pupil
Gender
Height
Arm Span
Ratio
Height / Arm Span
M or F
centimetres
Fraction *
Decimal 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
* Leave fraction un-simplified
Click in a cell to enter data

9. Elbow to hand is equals one quarter of height
Pupil
Gender
Height
Elbow to Hand
Ratio
Height / Elbow to Hand
M or F
centimetres
Fraction *
Decimal 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
* Leave fraction un-simplified
Click in a cell to enter data

10. Length of the hand is one tenth of height
Pupil
Gender
Height
Hand Length
Ratio
Height / Hand
M or F
centimetres
Fraction *
Decimal 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
* Leave fraction un-simplified
Click in a cell to enter data

11. Length of the foot is one seventh of height
Pupil
Gender
Height
Foot Length
Ratio
Height / Foot
M or F
centimetres
Fraction *
Decimal 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
* Leave fraction un-simplified
Click in a cell to enter data

12. Some questions to think about…
What do you notice from the table of data?
Which pupils most closely fit Leonardo’s theory?
Not everybody has an arm span / height ratio equal to 1.
Why do you think this is?
Do you think the results would be the same for babies or seniors?
Who might be interested in your conclusions?