Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-08-28
COMMUNICATION,
MOTION.


with natures laws than that of motion Many persons
have spent almost lifetime and fortune, in pur-
suit Of perpetual notion nor has this gn ataas yet
been buried in the tomb Of the Capulets 1t may there
FORE be entirely gratuitous to examine this subject
and thus guard inventors against waste Of their time
The word motion signifies change of place. the trans
ation of body from place to another. 1t animates
all nature extends through all extent and affects every
particle of matter in the universe We behold its effects In
the rising and setting sun, and stars in the inter-
position Of celestial spheres that have light of their own
mutually hiding each other and thus producing ecpses
and oceuations in the progress of light and sound in
the rolling year. with its changes and seasons in the
glowing cheek Of health and beauty and in the growth
decay, and dissolution Of vegetables animals, and
I'VE motion itself in the cheerful blasting ire in the
s.ehs sss:Ssle Y sss ~ esses az 1
tine notion q change 4 iocs q oonstsntly l 50
within and around Ner does ONE motion interfere in
the least with any other Whether waking asleep the
involuntary motions in own bodies are constantly
progressing while at the same time the earth rolls on
her axis pursues her journey round the sun at the
rate of sixtyeight thousand miles hour; and the
whole solar system carried round far distant
tre completing its revolution only in more than
hundred million Of years And to all these motions any
others may be added such riding and sailing without
interfering with the others in the least.
How multfarous these motions, how extensive, ana
how grand How rapid some and others how slow And
yet the only natural motive powers in the universe are
attraction and repulson These the golden chains
that link atom to aom and world to world and yet keep
every thing its place. setting bounds and prescribing
rules to every particle of matter throughout the
infinite empire How simple these agents, and how glo-
rious the result Franklin Said "God is the greatest
mechanic in the universe Was he right?
There are as it were kinds Of motion constantly
going on IN and around u.s. among the particles OF
matter composing bodies and the other among bodies
themselves The former belong the sciences Of physics
chemistry, physiology and the latter constitute the
science of mechanics.
This latter kind Of motion is either absolute relative
Absolute motion is that which is relative to the space IN
which the universe exists but cannot define it in any
particular except perhaps that it is orbtal for the uni
has limit and ere is no body in 1t that is abso
utey at rest to which refer the situation OF the
others Relative motion referred TO some other BODY
which, of course is also in absolute motion but may De
considered at rest with regard to third body Thus,
the earth in relative motion with regard TO the sum- or
any of the celestial bodies and they are also In
tive motion with regard to each other but IN absolute mo-
ton with regard to the universe which is at rest at the
same time standing vessel sailing has mo-
with the vessel relative to the earth or shore or toward
another vessel at anchor, sailing in different drec
ton with different velocity; but he walk to the
stern of his ship as fast as advances he will be at rest
relative to the shore but in motion relative TO his Ship
while at the time he is in absolute motion with re-
gard TO the universe s't
Motion is said to be rapid or quick when the eye
not readily follow it. fash of lightning the running
Of steam engine &C.; slow, as the hour-hand of
olock Both those haze reference 70 some inter-
writer has in his mind as q datum Of comparison.
4 Motion Is called straight rectnedr when the moving
body continually tends towards and approaches the same
fixed point but bent curvilnedr when II continually
tends towards different point; or in other words when
the body towards which it is also in notion and
this last is called orJd when the moving body describes
reentering curve around another BODY which may also
be in motion or rest and circular, when the moving
body keeps continually at the same distance from the
centre Of gravity Of the body around which it revoves
1t also may be proper observe that when one body
wolves round another that around which IL reyoves must
be heavier contain natter than the revolving body
otherwise the latter will carry the former from its posi-
on and compel the former TO describe an orbit around
it. And whatever the proportion OF the respective masses
Quantities of matter Of bodies Of which revoves
round the other may be- each Of them must necessarily
describe orbits and the dimensions of the two orbits
are proportional the respective quantities OF matter
contained in those bodies and the figures Of those orbits
will be similar Hence il is evident that the sun OF any
solar system must contain matter than the aggre
gate Of all its planets both primary and secondary
also that it is the centre Of gravity between our earth and
and not the centre OF the earth which describes an
orbit round the sun and that no suns orbit whose PLAN
cts revove around it in different times can be regular
geomerica figure because the sun attracted from the
of its orbit by the different planets In direct
portion their respective quantities OF matter and In
inverse proportion the squares Of their respective dis
ances estimated in emidameters of the central body
/ Motion is performed in space, and requires time Both
space and time either absolute restve but abso
lutte space and time nothing except their existence
because there is body at rest where we can begin to
the former and the latter only be measured
by the periodic revolution Of celestial body for all
human contrivances for this purpose necessarily de-
fectve-the greatest artists of planet having been
fruiessy employed in constructing chro
nomeers which should accurately measure even single
day That portion Of absolute time which the earth re-
ouires to her axis call day, which is
always Of precisely the length and the time re-
oured to perform Of her revolutions round the sun Is
called year. But this latter period compared with the
former has been accurately ascertaned the most
eminent make il as follows Mayer 300 days
hours 48 minutes 421 seconds Lalonde, $50 days,
hours AZ minutes 4S seconds Zack 365 days, hours
4S minutes, 500 seconds; and Deambre, 800 days,
hours, 4S minutes, 81 seconds
mechanical law relates and regulates the motions
of bodies both in nature and art Thus it is law Of
nature and mechanics that bodies the EARTH and
near all other celestial bodies should gravtate ana when
left at liberty should fall straight lines towards their
centres The four following laws OF motion have Deen de-
duced from constant and universal experience, VII
l. Every body must continue in its state OF rest or II
mpeled by any single force must perseyere In IT'S uni
form notion in straight line, unless IL oe compelled 70
change that state Of motion by some extflnsic
force. Ha&
p Every change from rest to motion, and vice versa
or in the velocity or direction Of progressive motion,
proportional to the force that produces It. and is always
in the same direction which that force is impressed upor
the body and in straight ne unless that force be
constant one.
g. constant force produces accelerated retarded
notion according It acts in the same or in contrary
direction to motion already existing
A. Action and reaction always equal and contrary
to each other Ii requires just much force to neutral
ze the momentum of moving body and stop its motor
motion.