The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1810-11-20
AL)e cEnQuirer.
RICHMOND, NOVEMBER 20. 1910
TO TIE EDITOR OF rHE ENQUIRER.

3 TO THE EDITOR OF THE ENQuIRER.
SIR,
Although mathematical and philosophical
enquiries. may not crafty the majority of
News paper readers, yet / believe there are
many OF your Subscribers. to whom essays
OF this description are most acceptable. 1t
was through the medium of the Enquirer,
that FIRST communicated TO the public nv
ideas of the consequences arising from the
rotary motion of the earth. These were
afterwards enlarged and published at your
Office in a small volume, entitled" II ne7y
Theory of,fhe Earfh'S dinrnat rotation -
In order tosobtain accurst information as to
the correcthessof the Data upon which the
Theory was founded. | addressed a circular
letter, not only to the most eminent mathe
ma,iCians D.this country. but also in Europe !;
requesting their opinions of the principle
which had adopted. Several OF these Gen.
tlemen in the United States have favored
me with their observations, and with that
candortand libera.ity which always distin
guish men of real science.
Those who took an crest in The oriei
nal question of the motion of a carriage
wheel, may now. receive some satisfaction in
being informed of the opinions which our
respect To this subject, They may also be
amused with an, account of other Paradox
es in rotary motion rot less astonishing than
shas OF the different veiocities in the points
OF carriage wheel. which may be found
In the article " ROTATION, in the British
Encyclopedia; but as this article is only
calculated for the perusal of those acouaint.
ed with the higher Geometry. shall en-
deavor to make those paradoxes ineligible
without the aid of Algebraic Formula
II is unnecessary here to relate the senti- :
Z a AT IN
City, with respect 10 the Theory, as he has
been pleased to notice it in the most favora
bic terms; in the Port Folio of Philadelphia,
oil Marchfast. The truth that the same point
on the eafthS surface moves with different
veiocities in the period oftwenty four hours
has not been called iH question by any one of
those Gentlemen, who have correspondent
with me. Professor Patterson, of the Uni
versity of Pennsylvania. differs in opinion,
as TO the hour OF greatest and least veloci
~. According MIR. Patterson, we move
with greatest velocity at midnight, and with
least velocity at noon whereas had
serted, that our greatest velocity was at
noon, and our lcas, at midnight This cir
cumstance, however, in no mahner affects
the theory. as the same consequences would
follow from either hypothesis The most
material circumstance in which Mr. Patter-
son differs from me, is with respect to the
centrifugal force of the points OF the earth
and consequently, of gravity towards the
carth's centre Professor Patterson thinks.
that the centrifugal foree of any point can
only be affected by & change in the angular
velocity, and not by d change in the absolute
velocity. Hss Was. also so obgng as to
iDciose TO me, Hu1,ionary demonstration
from Gentleman in Philadelphia, whose
character as a mathematician stands high.
tending to prove that the centrifugal force
rs the same in the Cyc,oid. as i'm the circle :;
but although the opinions both Of Professor
Patterson and this Gentlemen are certainly
entitled 20 the highest respect yet i bes
1ieve l shall be able to point out The error
into which the Fluxionary Calculus has led
them, and toprove unquestionably that the
centrlfuga! force must be affected by
change in absolute velocity.
BISHOP Madison. although he is of opinion,
that the Cycloidal motion of the points OF
the EARTH is an agent in many important
pre- nomena in nature. and that it has not
been duly appreciated, vet adheres to the
Newtonian doctrine of the Tides He coin
eides with me in the opinion oil its being the
cause OF the fail of Atmospherical stones.
His words are -" Think your ideas res
fecffng afmosfthericak stones, The most hro
6n6Le which haUe been suggested NearLy
the same thought qUas yirofosed by me 10
my class, and also 10 Mr.. Blackburn some
time flast ; but yonr a1tfiicahon ofthe Cy-
ciofdai motion Of The earth 10 Me hheno.
menon, has been hahfy indeed"
Bishop Madison also mentions the follow
ing singular Phenomenon. which / have
since found has been noticed by the most
experienced Millers in this state, and be
tieve from the testimony that NAV be pfodu
ced, no doubt can be entertained of the fact.
There 10 said TO be fact which rtau be
7vorfhy Of ATTENTION. 7 haze frequenflv
heard from men Of considerable observation,
Maf mill 7oiM the same quantity of zva
yer, 7ooutd do more work ia The same time
IN the night than in the day. II may be
zVorth zebite 10 see 7Vhether such FACT re.
eHy does occur If so. your otiinion would
reeetVe no small confirmation. II is also
otten urged az a fdct, That tides which come
on at or about midnight are higher than
f6ose Of noou."
Doctor Kemp, Professor of Mathematics
and Ma tural Philosophy, in Columbia Col :
iegc y ew York. has expressed himself in
terms highly approving of the Theory, and
appea RS TO think that a change IN absolute
velocity must produce a change in the GEN.
trifugaN force of the points Of the earth.
a Teacher of Mathematics in the state Of
New Jersey wrote me letter, informing
me tNat the same theory was to be found in
Canoes system Of the Universe, but that
the sutility Of it had long since been shewn
and e7posedby Rsny authors and particu.