Are da Vinci’s proportions accurate?

Joseph Song

Ms. Burnham

Statistics

December 2018

Investigating the Accuracy of Leonardo da Vinci’s Body Proportions

Introduction

During the 16th century, Leonardo da Vinci, a scientist and artist, wanted to be able to

paint pictures that portrayed the human body with accurate proportions. da Vinci incorporated

his knowledge of science, architecture, and art in order to formulate a linear relationship that

would be able to represent relationships between the different limbs, and the height of an

individual. da Vinci’s results led him to the following conclusions: height is equal to arm span,

kneeling height is ¾ the standing height, and the hand length is 1/9 the length of the height. da

Vinci’s results, however, were limited to European males 500 years ago. The purpose of this

investigation is uncover the mystery of whether or not Da Vinci’s “rules” are still relevant or

accurate. In other words, are Da Vinci’s proportions still relevant or accurate today? To tackle

this mystery, samples of statistic students were taken. It seemed to be that Da Vinci’s rules were

more of an approximation and were not entirely accurate.

Methods

In order to test Da Vinci’s rules, measurements of arm spans, hands, heights, and

kneeling heights, were taken from the statistics class. In order to measure arm span, a measuring
Are da Vinci’s proportions accurate?

tape was extended from the back of a middle finger tip to the opposite middle finger tip. When

measuring hand length, a ruler was extended starting from the first horizontal line below the

palm to the tip of the middle finger. This was done to ensure accuracy. In measuring height, the

subject took off his/her shoes. A measuring tape was extended from the heel to the very top of

the head. A ruler was laid on the subject’s head and extended towards the measuring tape in

order to find a an accurate measurement of height. When measuring kneeling height, the subject

got on his/her knees. A measuring tape was extended from the kneecaps to the head. A ruler was

once again laid on the head and extended towards the measuring tape for accuracy.

Results

The data collected was inputted into desmos, an online graphing calculator. The

explanatory or x variable was the height of those in the sample. The armspan, kneeling height,

and the hand length were the response (y) variable. Upon graphing all of the points on the

scatterplot, it was noticed that an outlier was present in each of the graphed relationships. The

outlier turned out to have represented a child, as shown in graph 1.

Are da Vinci’s proportions accurate?

Graph 1

In order to analyze the effect of the outlier, a separate model had to be created in which the

outlier would be removed. Additionally, the y intercept in the new model was set to zero in order

to evaluate the the impact of the outliers on each of the graphs / relationships. This new model is

shown in graph 2.
Are da Vinci’s proportions accurate?

Graph 2

Removing the outlier and making the y intercept 0 has allowed graph 2 be more accurate and

more representative of all heights. This accuracy can also be proven by the linear and constant

relationships in graph 2.

1. Height and Armspan

The model without the outliers and with a y intercept of zero showed that for every centimeter

increase in height, arm span roughly increased by 1.0057. The coefficient of determination, in

the sendond model, showed that the variability of the arm span was was at 0.8223. This meant

that roughly 82% of the arm span was directly due to the height of individuals. In other words

only 82% of the arm span was accounted for by the graph.
Are da Vinci’s proportions accurate?

With Outlier Without Outlier and Y-Intercept of 0

Slope = 1.05119 Slope = 1.0057

Coefficient of Determination = 0.9214 Coefficient of Determination = 0.8223

2. Height and Hand length

The model without the outliers and the y-intercept showed that for every centimeter increase in

height, hand length increased by 0.106075. The variability of the hand length was at 0.7136.

This meant that roughly only 76% of the hand length was directly was accounted for by the

height of the sample.

With Outlier Without Outlier and Y-Intercept of 0

Slope = 0.0377992 Slope = 0.106075

Coefficient of Determination = 0.1618 Coefficient of Determination = 0.7136

3. Height and Kneeling Height

The model without the outliers and the y-intercept showed that for every centimeter increase in

height, kneeling height increased by 0.750572. The variability of the kneeling height was at

0.9532. This meant that only 95% of the hand length was directly was accounted for by the

height of the sample.

Are da Vinci’s proportions accurate?

With Outlier Without Outlier and Y-Intercept of 0

Slope = 0.859037 Slope = 0.750572

Coefficient of Determination = 0.9771 Coefficient of Determination = 0.9532

Discussion

These results lead to the conclusion that Da Vinci’s “rules” are not entirely precise,

thought they are accurate. The data shows that the relationship between arm span, kneeling

height, and height is relatively constant. However, none of the variability of the three

relationships is at a perfect one hundred percent. This means that there are other factors that may

play into hand length, arm span, and kneeling height. da Vinci’s “rules”: height is equal to arm

span, kneeling height is ¾ the standing height, and the hand length is 1/9 the length of the

height, are more or less approximations.

Appendix
Are da Vinci’s proportions accurate?
Are da Vinci’s proportions accurate?
Are da Vinci’s proportions accurate?

(Circled above is the outlier)