English: Diagram, known as the Epitaph of Stevinus, by Flemish engineer Simon Stevin in 1586 to illustrate his ingenious derivation of the mechanical advantage of an inclined plane using a string of beads. He proved that the mechanical advantage of the inclined plane (the ratio of the weight of the load to the force required to push it up the plane) was equal to the ratio of the length of the plane ("Run") to the vertical distance spanned ("Rise"). This was (one of) the first correct analysis of the inclined plane, and caused it to be accepted as a simple machine capable of amplifying force like the lever or screw.