Leonardo da Vinci sketched a centrifugal pump to demonstrate how rotating motion could lift water.
A centrifugal pump uses a rotating impeller to move liquid outward and convert mechanical energy into fluid pressure. Leonardo’s notes and drawings explored pumps, water movement, and hydraulic machinery during his broader investigations of canals and engineering.
The principle is different from the water screw often associated with ancient Greek engineering. A screw raises water through a helical surface, while a centrifugal pump accelerates water radially from a rotating center. Leonardo’s hydraulic studies examined both natural water flow and machines that could control it.
The surviving sketches are evidence of Leonardo’s interest in fluid mechanics, but they should not be treated as proof that he invented every modern pump type. His work anticipated useful principles and mechanisms that later engineers developed with improved materials and manufacturing.