TEACHING GEOMETRY INSPIRED BY THE CODEX ATLANTICUS OF LEONARDO DA VINCI

Leonardo da Vinci can be considered as one of the most important guests in Milan, of all the times. Starting from 1482 he spent two different periods in the Sforza Castle, initially (till 1499) he works as painter and engineer of the duke Ludovico il Moro. Then, protected by Louis XII, he comes back to Milan (1506-1513) after trips in the North and Central Italy, then in Rome till 1516. In 1517, invited by Francois I, he moved to Amboise (France) where he died in 1519. In the first Milanese period, among his numerous activities, Leonardo increased his interest to Mathematics, specially to Geometry. He met also Luca Pacioli, one of the most important mathematicians of the time. They collaborated in editing the book De Divina Proporzione; in particular Leonardo prepared the famous drawings of polyhedra. In this paper we consider geometric problems studied by Leonardo in the Codex Atlanticus, some of which related to the Greek Mathematicians, others presented by himself. All these problems, easily understood by high school students, suggest a didactic path non traditional in the measure of surfaces and volumes. This method gives the opportunity to realize an interdisciplinary path connecting History, Arts and Mathematics