The Panola weekly star. (Sardis, Miss.) 1882-18??, 1882-09-30


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lhN nv nhaff II lha fHfmAH Nhifh
tNis lhe lflfHaf ~s4HfiieA lha fANfNy
ANh whWh wv fTHa hHlIHl II An mHfif
IN NfNifNN aHHfd HA Tho nNNfgY
" derived firm iHs effiHsian N w.
gHp0Hfef aHd fhH pulling N Nc
lfglHf ls mefsIf lhH Me4Hs 81 which
ihsi fnnffY u HhHfAea ~ sHun
Wiaf similar msfaaf lfe tidal wave
ifHluret ~ No W4an IL iha mfin
Nhefeiy = large fafi ~ the m ~
itifrt M Me- fafih 4 E fmlHiIfi ~ 90
pond Iisflf IN work Lot mH illustrate
ihis bY n f1mfHfisnH 4elw IN The einl
fulallng ~ NJ ass end lhe ~ Who'll N
m engine The Hf eHeol 4 a adfi M
frsfftpf lNth which tha nng ne pUufa
M power Al etfh sifaha n The piston
tho fafiuus machines IN the mill mofu
~ draw ~ Tho paWaf ffUm the store
aorninu ai0i IN The IL wheel The enr h
IL like n gigantic ~ wheel detached
from The engine. though still connect Il
with The machines IN The mill In that
mighty NJ wheel = %siupondpus quantity
NJ energy u stirred ~, aud . siupon'
,iuns %qnaniitg " energy would be- given
Unt before thai ny wheel would cotnc ~
fest The eanh's rotation u ihe rusuf.
vuir frcm whence The tides draw Tho
energy ihoy require for doing work
thence II u that though The tides are
caused by the NOM, yet whenever they
require energy they draw on the supply
ready "a hand IN the rotation ~ tho
earth The earth differs from tho NY
wheel ~ the engine In . very imppr-
tant point. A. the energy Is With
drawn from the hy.wheel by the ma
chimes In the mill. 80 Il Il restored
thereto by the power Of tho steam en.
CINE. and the Nv runs uniformly. But
iha earth I, merely tho fly-whoel with
out the engine When tho work done
BY the tides withdraws energy from tho
rarth, that energy II never restored, IL
therefore follows that tho carth's rota.
ton must be decreasing. This leads 10
n consequence Of the most wonderful
importance. II tells us that the speed
with which the earth rotates on Is axis
is diminishing. We can state the result
IN a manner which has the merits Of
simplicit and brcyity. The tides arc
increasing the length Of the day. Al
present no doubt the effect OF the tides
In changing the length Of the day Is
very small. A day now Is not apprcci-
ably longer than u day n hundred years
ago. Even In q thousand years tho
change in the length OF the day Is only
q fraction Of n second. But the i'm
p0rtancc arises from the fact that the
change, slow as Il Is, lies always in one
direct on. The day is continually in
creasing. In millions Of years the accu
mulatiye effect becl not only ap-
preciable, but even Of startling magni
tlrde. The change in the length OF III,
day must involve o corresponding
change in the motion Of the moon. 1
the moon acts on the earth and rctard'
the rotation Of the earth. SO. conversely
does the earth react upon the moon
The earth Is tormented by the moon, 81
IL strives TO drive away It's prosecutor
AZ present tho moon revolyes roun,
the entire earth at a distance of abou
two hundred and forty thousand miles
The reaction OF the earth tends to In
crease that distance aud to force III
moon 10 reyolve In an orbit which |
continually getting larger and larger
As thousands of years roll on, the lcngtl
OF the day increases second by second
aud the distance OF the moon increase
mile by mile. A million years ago III
day, probably. contained some minute
less than our present day Of twenty
four hours. Our retrospect does nc
halt hero. We at once project our vic'
back TO an incredibly remote epoc
which was n crisis In tho history Of o.
system. II must have been at lea
fifty million years ago. II may hay
been very much earlier. This cris's WI
the interesting occasion when the moo
was born. Tho length Of the day wa
only u very few hours. II We call
three hours we shall not be far from N
truth. Perhaps you may think that
we looked back 10 q still earlier pcr.o
the day would become still less an
finally disappear altogether! This Il
however. not the case. The day ca
never have been much less than thr,
hours In the present order Of thing
Everybody knows that the earth Is not
sphere. but there Is n protuberanco
. the Equator. so that n our school bool
tell us, the earth Is shaped like an o
ange. IL Is well known that this pr
tubcrnncc Is due TO the rotation Of Il
|, earth on It's axis. by which the @ mat
rial parts bulge out by ccntr,fug
, force. The quicker the earth rotatl
the greater Is tho protuberancc.
however. the rate of rotation exceeds
certain limit the equatorial portions
, the Garth could no longer cling togethc
The attraction which unites them won
DO overcome by centrifugal force, and
general break up would occur. II O.
A., be shown that the rotation Of the ear
when on the point Of rupture corr
spends 20 a length Of the day som
, whore about the critical Va ue Of thr
hours. which we have already adopic
II Is. therefore. impossible FOR Ms
i. suppose n day niue shorter than thr
!, hours Let Us leave the earth for q f.
, minutes and examine tho past histo
!, of the moon. We have seen the mo-
. ruyolvc around the earth In an cv
4 widening orbit. and consequently q
|. moon must In ancient times have tc'
. nearer the earth than i know. No dou
the change Is slow. There Is not mu
difference between the orbit Of I
moon a thousand years ago and the
bit In which the 100 Is now movin
But when we nse To mill ons OF yea
the difference becomes very apprcc
II bic. Thirty or fosty M Ions Of yer
i ago the moon was much closer 20 I
earth than II Is nj present; very ~
!, sibiy the moon was then only half
present distance. We must howovl
hook sill earl or, TO q certain epoch Y
) iess than fifty m lions 81 years ago.
u that epoch tn noon must have been
1, close 20 the cath that the two bod
= wcro almost touching. Evcrybo
a knows that the moon rcyolves N
around the earth in n period 81 TWEEN
n, seven days. The period depends up
= the distance between tho Garth and