, 1868-09-04
Weight, Force and Power.

| 0AASsS amOuB 1auy persons con,
fusion IN the use of these words, which il
would be very desirable to correct. This
confusion originates not only in the wrong
understanding of the words, but also of the
ideas they convey. When, for instance, we
read in the Scientific " American, editorial
remarks like these: "Power may drive ma
chinery, but lubricator is better, ;" it shows
that there is no very clear idea of Poloer
when lnbricator is considered to be q SUBJ
stitute for, and an improvement upon it.
WhenS-again, the same scientific (Y) paper
says (VoE xy., p. 367 y The mechanical
force developed by the change Of one cubic
inch of water into l,700 cubic inches of
steam is nearly one tun, it shows that there
is no clear idea of Force, as the mention of
weight alone, say tun or pound, with>
out considering its motion, conveys no idea
Of force at all.
Weight means nothing more nor less than
the idea the word conveys namely. a certain
amount of matter. 1t cannot possibly be
used to convey the idea of force. To speak
Of a tun, pound, or ounce weight gives no
idea of force, since an ounce weight in
motion produces an infinitely greater force
than a tun weight at rest, Of which the force
is zero. Therefore any scientific writer that
speaks of mechanical force of one tuu sim,
ply proves himself to be very ignorant in the
proper use of words.
The statement of Force requires the
combination of two ideas; first, a certain
amount of matter, or a certain weight; and
secondly, certain space through which it
moves. This is force and nothing more.
1t is not power, much less a certain amount
of horse power, and to speak of $4,000
pounds raised one foot high as a horse.
power, as is often done, is another error of
the same kind.
The word power involves three ideas A
certain mass or weight, a certain space
through which the mass moves, and GER
tain time during which the motion occurs.
The true definition of horsepower is 93,>
600 pounds raised one foot high, in one min.
ute, or, after the French decimal system,
which amounts to nearly the same thing, IS
Kilograms raised | meter high in second.
To recapitulate Weight signifies moth
ing more than a mass of matter Force in
wolves the idea of matter and space while
in the word Porer we have the three ideas
Of matter, space and motion combined
Now as to the application. When we sus:
pend a weight and keep it unmoved, it ex-
ertS neither force PV"oI WV" W Os~SV
it to descend, it exercises a force; but the
amount Of measure of power obtained BY this
descent can onlylbe arrived at by consider
ing the velocity of this descent Therefore,
when we say $4,000 pounds descends one
foot in one minute, or $50 pounds one foot
in one second, or So pounds ten feet in one
second, VIC have horsepower but when
55 pounds only descends one foot in one
second, or ten feet in ten seconds, we obtained
the power of one man which is estimated to
be one, fifth or one-tenth of that of horse.
A man can raise $4,000 pounds one foot
high easy enough, either by means of ma
chinery, or by subdividing it into 500 parts.
of &c pounds each but it will be found that
be cannot possibly accomplish this task in
one minute, as is possible for a horse by
means of the proper contrivances. All
man can do is to raise the $4,000 pounds,
with the right kind of machinery, one foot
in eight or ten minutes, or to lift every
second &c pounds one foot high. In five
hundred seconds, or a little more than eight
minutes be will have accomplished his task
of lifting 500 times &C, or $4,000 pounds,
one foot high
The clear understanding of these princi-
Piles would often save to many a man both
money and time, in preventing him from at.
tempting the accomplishment of utterly im>
possible things.-JourndL Of Mining.
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