Nashville daily patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1855-1857, 1856-09-05

1 The GYRAToR OK GYRoscoPE-We referred yes
terday TO the curious scientific toys called gyrators
| or gyroscopes We observe that they have been
i made subject of explanation aud debate in the
Scientific Congress at present in session at Albany
The meeting having been. called TO order oy the
Chairman of the day. Professor McCay, the fist pa
per was read by Professor w. B Rogers, on the
history and theory Of the toys called GyroseOpes.
These instruments have lately attracted good deal
o. attention, and the form of them is probably ia
miar to our readers. They consist essentially of a
wheel which NAV be made to rotate very rapidly at
| the end OF axis, which is balanced on swlval
joint at the top Of vertical post. II, while the
wheel is rotating the axis is thrown out of bsance,
by means of sliding weight the axis begins to TO.
tate in a horizontal direction round the post. This
is the simplest form, but others more complicated
are TO be found. They were first made by PROBES
eor W. johnson. of PHILADELPHIA, and bad recent
" been revived in France. The French mathema
ticisns acknowledge Professor johnson the in
ventOr. He published article in Sillmans Jour
nal about twenty I've years ago describing his app
paratus. Professor Rogers then explained the
| cause Ct the secondary rotation by the method of
combination of rotations, and by the doctrine OF
couple Of forces He wished to divest the theory,
if possible, of the forms Of the calculus and present
il in the beautiful geometrcal-msDner 10 which the
theory Of the psTalleogTam of rotations enables il
to be stated. But even 10 this form the question
required far to much techDicality TO allow US to re-
port Professor Rogers reasoning. In ell strictly
scientific papers there must be large proportion
o. mater which can be cloihei only in the peculiar
language of the science; and it is especially so 10
matters Of mechanics and mathematical.
Upon the conclusion of this paper debate
sprdng up, which consumed verv disproportion
atle time Of the meeting. Prof. Bartlett gave an
explanation of the toy-' starting from different
foundation; and some Of the members supposing
AS Prot. Rogers himself appeared to dO-that
Prof. Bartlett doubted the theory advanced in the
paper, many needless words we're uttered upon
the sdbect. At length Prot Rogers acknowledg
ed the truth of several Of the views which he had
at FIRST supposed were contradictory 70 his own,
and Prot. PIERCE, who had not yet spoken, closed
the discussion by simple statemelt of the real
points of the case. He observed that Prof Lover
ing has recently presented complete discussion
OF the question to the Academy; that the whole
theory of it was in fact contained in that Of the
common top; and as for the antiquity, the
same theory was long, ago presented by one Isaac
Newton. Laughter. Prof Rogers said that be
was of this similarity of the theory Of the
GyrOscope to that of the top aud of the recesson
OF the equinoxes, and had prepared diagrams to
illustrate these subjects, and also the experiments
Of Foucant on the pendulum which he would
have shown to the Association illustrations of
his paper had he thought there would be time.
IDl. ntuI1 TeuldIheu Iihb Tue same pIObtm
WAS found in gunnery, where a rotary motion, as
in the rife, is given TO the tall As long as the
ball flies nearly horizontal it will remain nearly in
one vertical plane hut when Il begins rapidly 10
defect from level it will also have a sensible
horizontal DETECTION.
similar machine can e seen q Mr.. Henry
Echbaum's shop on Cherry street in this city.
.5y- The ST. Louis papers contain lengthy ac>
counts from Kansas But it is hard to decide be-
tween the contradictory accounts which are correct
The Republican says:
Gen AtchisOn is said to he in command of the
hiissourans; Col. Doniphan is second in command
aud Capt Reid, Of Jackson, adjutant. IL battle
takes place at all, it will probably off this
week. and there will he no child's play about it.
Lanes men will have in the event of fight, the
advantages of being better drilled and better equip
ped, with better supply Of arms, and still we
doubt whether they will gain any triumph over the
NssOurians.
~ The examination had yesterday in re-
IL 4 n I