The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1856-05-28
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For the aSptik
Mn. EDITOR I'm your last .Spirit"
I notice two answers tony IPhilosophi-
eal Query" You ask which is correct.
Now this is question which. cannot
be practically demonstrated-but l am Of
the opinion that the answer Of Mr.. Hunter
is correct. -
He has shown tha, when the bah arrives
at the center it can have no momentum
and consequently no power t. overcome
any resistance. Now it is very certain
that to go beyond the center, the ban must
overcome the same amount Of force Is
that which brought It there. $500
No matter how small this impeachment
may be,-the ball having no monentdm,
cannot overcome it, and must stop. Tho
atnio sphere which osswould prove fatat
to Mr.. Amos theory" win assist Aif.
Hunters ss = =. - -
am Of opinion, also, that Mr.: Hnh:.
ter's second proposition win hold good
Now bodies are not attracted BY the ceistsr.
of the Earth but by epery particls Of mat.
ter. contained therein, and viii tend to
approach as near as possible to every
atom of matter. and therefore tends To-
ward the center.
Therefore when q body is falling down
through the Earth, it must be constantly
attracted backwards BY the mass Of Earth
which it is leaving behind. and after II
gets to q considerable depth its velocity.
must continue to decrease instead Of sa-
crease, and as Mr. Il. says ssvhenis
arrives at the center these two forces Nill5I
exactly counter-balance, each otheri and !
the body must step.n The experiment Of
/" dropping stone into vel, = is rather
a ..shallow . experiment for SO deep 81
subject and can prove nothing afas 'aszf
: A body in falling so slight asdistanes .
would not meet with sufficient resistance
from the backward . attraetionso TO mako
a change in velocity percepsihlei lbdtI
have no doubt thata ball will fall slower.
in deep well than above the surfacesis g
The force Of attraction Is inarropof.A
,ion to the quantity Of matter. aud in-s'
yersely as The square of the distance; and
it has been proven that ball VII not fati
SO fast q. great distance nom the sur
face of the Earth, as. it will close to the !,
same. Also if the quantity Of matter in ]
the Earth were only half as great, bodies !
would fall only half as. fast. But instead
Of just decreasing the quantity of matter /,
which is attracting our ball, we are con-
stantly removing it to the other side. !,
It is true that "when body is once :,
in motion, that it mast continue in motion
until some other force stops it," Now .ina
this instance we have a body in motion !:
when it arrives at the center pf the Earth
we have force tending to stop il. jpse
equal to that which would impel il sp-a
ward - ztls
To illustrate this further. Suppose va
place piece Of iron upon . Gcat and
present magnet towards is. the iron n;sl
begin to move towards the magnet. But,
while in motion suppose we present -
the opposite side another magnet Of eqpal
power: the iron must Instantly btsts lc-.
cause the force which would take il in
one directioa is just equal TO tha, which.
would take it in the opposite direction.
] So Of our ball when it arrives at The csh-
/ ter of the Earth. D..
p. S. Would it not lie a pleasing and
/ profitable exercise for teachers 10 propose
scientific questions to each o.ler, through
/ yoar excellent paper z II