The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1859-02-03
Natural phiiosoDby.

Natural Philosophy.
Mr.. EDITOR Owing to an amalgan,-
alton of the second and third queries in
the Guardian Of Jan. l3, which absorbed
the distinct colors of both, it becomes
necessary to throw off the querying form
and hasten to the rescue of Natural Phi
losophy. But not having the original
and correct manuscript, it obliges re-
turn to the queries in the Guardian of
Jan. 9th, for commencement.
1t Is necessary now, to ampiify only
the Cd and Sd queries. The second
supposeS that the earth was carried to its
present distance from the sun by an i'm
pulse, which has now become exhausted.
Natural Philosophy teaches US that a
ball, when fired from a cannon, will con-
tinue to move from the cannon as long
as the impulse given is not exhausted
when exhausted, the ball stops but if,
when the ball stops, another force, act
ING from the lannon's mouth, should
operate on the ball, superior to all other
influences, the ball would then return on
the same line to its starting point. Make
these forces eUer-dcttny, and when they
become equalized, rest will be the result
Make one an ever acting, the other arti-
fetal or naechaaical, the last must sue
cumb to the first. But carry this simile
to planetary motion, and it supposes cen
trifugal force to act in direct line with
attraction, which carries US to the third
query, which is built on that supposition,
and that orbilual motion cannot be pro
duced from two opposing forces on line.
Every one knows, who has ever turned
a grlndstone, that when water is thrown
off from it, it flies off at tangent but
conhne one or more charges of powder
within the stone, and let explosion take
place, under the same velocity, and each
plug will be thrown off in direct line
from the centre.
If, therefore, there is centrifugal
force in planetary motion, it originated
III one of these two ways. In the first it
could not. Why +? Because Attraction
is the only force we see manifested, and
it holds the smallest objects firmly in
their places. Ii must originate by ex-
plosion, then therefore, centrifugal fol ce
acts in direct line with Attraction or the
centrlpetal force, and no philosophy in
the universe can get up an orJitual mo
ton from them.
But this carries lis to the query-which
became lost by absorption--in the Guar
dian of Jan. 18Th Query 3d), which, if
| recollect right, supposes that orbtual
motion arose from the composition Of two
forces; one acting from the centre 1.-THE
SUM, the other at a tangent from the or
bit; which last is a false suppostion, as
we have seen no sach force can exist in
planetary motion.
But the query supposes further, that
the forces are both natural, and have be-
come equati=ea therefore, the earth
must be on a direct HNe, between the two,
proceeding from the centre.
And The last query supposes sill fur
Their /; that Attraction is an ever acting
force, and the tangent force, an artificial
force; and, therefore, that when the
earth Is once drawn from the direct line
OF Tie tangent force, the tangent force
becomes necessarily killed. leaving the
earth under the influence of attraction
alone.
The statement Of the case is now where
il should have been in the Guardian of
Jan. 18Th.
One word TO J. NJ d., on Light. This
is a philosophical, and not perJal dis
cusson; although light will be noticed
in due time. The 81 and Sd queries
were imperfect, and needed this explana-
ton rather than defence.
Querst thinks J. M. d. has drawn a
wrong conclusion from the language :
He simply said, when expressed in a
matter of faot-wav, that he did not know
J. NJ. DIS capabilities, dc. III NJ. d.
can see an insinuation of incapacity"
thefe, he mast certainly look from an APP
propriatc anI-point.
kArgaAL PuILosorHY