Which Leonardo da Vinci design used a rotating drum to move water upward?

Leonardo da Vinci studied and drew Archimedes’ screw, a rotating device that moves water upward.

The machine consists of a helical surface inside or around a cylindrical shaft. As the screw turns, pockets of water are carried from a lower level to a higher one. It can be driven by a handle, animal power, or another source of rotation, depending on the installation.

The principle was ancient rather than Leonardo’s original invention. It is traditionally associated with Archimedes of Syracuse, who is commonly said to have developed it in the third century BCE. Leonardo’s contribution was to study, depict, and adapt mechanical forms such as this one in his engineering work.

This water-lifting screw is different from Leonardo’s screw jack. A screw jack raises solid loads, while an Archimedes’ screw transports a fluid through repeated rotation.