Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1843-01-14
For the Richmond Palladium

For tie Richmond Palladium.
Messrs. Editors:-There appeared in your pa
per Of Nov. 12Ih. article signed Isaac Kiney
jr., the object Of which prove TO the world
general, and your subscribers 10 particular ina
some of the principles of Philosophy, as de mon.
srated by the sages tina, have past, are incorrect
Shades Of Newton and kepler! has the time ar
rived, when YOU accused of having hoaxed
mankind? In taking ii upon myself thus no.
tee the remarks of MIR. Isaac Kinley, jr., do not
wish It to be understood that am endeav oring
to support principles TO which he has been plea
sed to object. Far from IT. | will only try TO
sho" to the gentleman, who has objected TO what
he thinks long established principles of Dynamies,
that he is slightly in the dark that he should be
ms tfucied before he instructs.
In The first place, he says: at any fact passes
the first ordeal Of public examination, it is after
wards taken for granted and the future reader
reads 10 know and not 10 Doubt 10 This the
gentleman is also mistaken, for in every instltu.
'ion IN the Union, whether scientific, Military,
or Naval, where mathematics philosophy is only
an application of mathematics) are taught as
they should be, all principles are thoroughly in
that frs, established the are used in their inves.
tIgation, and every thing is assumed to be ncor
rect until il is proved To be true If those prIn-
ciples are wrong, then the mathematical reason>
ing which led TO them is also wrong which would
be absurd to suppose. l know i.u~ MI. I5auv
X rniey, jr. has estigated the subject bat would
suppose, from his own assertion, that he is one Of
those who '.read TO know if, however he should
happen TO see the absurdiy of that method, as
presume he has, and would "read to Doubt
would recommend TO his particular notice, work
called Boucharal's Mechanics, where he will
find the various trains Of reasoning, which have
mankind TO the principles, to which he
has been graciously pleased TO refer.
In the next place, he asserts that, "If body
be thrown into The air, TO any distance and with
any velocity, i, will descend in precisely The same
lime that it was descending" In this case his
assumption is false, for there is no such principle
10 Dynamics ''This,' be further SAYS, "results
rom the fact that two bodies Of the same gravity
md dimension, thrown through The air with the
same force, will move with the same velocity"
Now, for my part, pretend to no reasoning pow
,rs of my own, yet am loss TO see how the
most able savent would DO able 10 deduce the
IRIS, OF these propositions from the second 1t is
rue that two bodies with the conditions nention.
ID. W Ill have the same velocity and both will
each the ground at the same time. provided that
he resultants of the several forces applied. be
make the same angle with the horizon. but this
las nothing TO do with The relative time of sim
gle body ascent or descent. A body falling in
IN
,ended, as Isaac Kinney, jr. himself asserts, but
n ether For the information Of that
gentleman, will endeavor to explain how that
result was obtained. From known conditions il
was found that body in vacuo under the force OF
gravity, would fall thro' space denoted by s. in
lime denoted by ~, being the time and g
The force Of gravity applied to each particular
particle of the body. Then when investigating
ho motion of a body projected vertically upwards
10 sacuo, the value for the time in passing thro'
the space was also found to be ~ Con
seQuently these times are The same, the body
Will ascend IN the same time that it descends-
This IS true only for shor, distances. twill hold
good for number OF miles above the surface Of
the earth. but will fail when the distance is taken
equal 10 that of the moon. The time Of flight.
however, of body IN resisting medium, such
as air, for 1t To rise TO a certain heirh, is very
different from the time of lis descent; the latter
ing much less than the former
With respect TO the second objection of the
gen'lemas, he has there also fallen into an error
Before he commenced revising The subject of
Philosophy. he should have Investigated little
farther than he appears 10 have DONE The prin-
cipie OF falling bodies, to which be alludes. is
be says only irue when the body /. falIinr IN Va