Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-11-06
toms variation Is no, in The lea., disturbed by

the criticism 40 numerically meted out
Prol. u. properly says, "a new form OF
orbit Will only hnd Its way into astronomy u
II represents the places OF the heavenly bodies
better than the comic sections, aud not before.
Why not put the new orbit Ia this tost Lot
the places Of n planet or comet DO predicted
by means Of tho circular orbit, anu " me
computed right ascension 'nd defamation
agrees moro closely with tho observed places
than by using tho comic sections, tboro will
bo no difficulty In having II adopted as inc
correct form of orbit Indeed we should be
much pleased 10 SEQ an ephenIoris for comet
or planet prod uced ON the hypothesis Of n
circular orbit IL would thon only be mat
tor of q comparative short time to have II
tested by obsef yation." quote this passage
al some length because IL ls tho hest that our
critic has uttered In all his contributions.
How ready and anxious am that this theory
shall be tested m the way proposed, no one
can imagine. Just M cont tident NJ am that
the law OF gravitatioD, NJ announced by New
ton, regulates tho movements OF the heavenly
bodies, and that circular orbits alone satisfy
the law Of grAvitation, Nd sure am also, be-
lieving in the law of cause and effect, that the
observed and computed placss of heavenly
body will agree more ntal ly by the circular
hypothesis than by any other.
Kepler accepted the eiiipse because II
agreed more nearly than nything else he
tricd. but have wO historical evidence that
he tried the form which ! now propose to
offer lie tried the circle, supposing the II
In the centre. Between IL and the ellipse the
latter is decidedly the better choice. The
circle " hicb represeuts tbe oIb,t now nyopos.
ed takes the middle OF the supposed ell pse,
.. the middle Of the major axis for it's cen
circle and the eilipse cniocido st ma a,,ra,nIe
tiss.of the major axis, Apbeli,n and neti
belon distances are therefore the same IN the
circular IN In tho eliiptical orbit In the case
ec,cntricltv ihe ,ircla and ,ha eiiin.a are 40
nearIy ain n tJat Tho picoa, ,na..,,,o,,ants of
lhe s,in,s aonarepi diametar will not enablo
the ot,seryer In declIa "a ba,bor n IA ooe or the
otbsr of tbess two iorms IA Tho most avail.
able ill,,stratlon use tho orbit of the earth
whose eccontricity Is about 4 90. Construct
All ellipse OF the ri ven eccentricity and, witb
Its major AZ In A. a diameter, describe "A circle
These curves will 50 nearly coincide through.
out that the observer can not ecide bet W cen
them The difference between the observed
aud com pu,ed places OF the Garth viii agree
within the limits OF tho acknowledged cor
rsctions necessary with tho elliptic hypothe.
sis. Observation eau settle tho question of
form between the two hypotheses which
greatly differ, but when the hypothesis 40
nearly correspond ~ In the present test, the
observer IL incapable of deciding 1t remains
for mathematical analy sis to make the final
selection, Observations copducted with ref
erenco To these two forms OF orbits as applied
to tho planets W III scarcely ever dit,er beyond
a few seconds In the case of comets. the
difference IL greater but oven then the major
axis OF tho suppospd ylljpse IN the diameter of
the real circle,
The invention OF tho calculus has intro.
duced the possibility of correspon,iipv errors
against which the mathematician m tist care.
fully guard. There Is danger of surprising
that the ratios of finite quantities are lost in
the ultimate For examine suppose a right
anplod triangle hose slides are 4. w Re-
ducing the sise with unchanged angles it
might be -tlpposed. that, when so small that
the area IL less than apy assiguabIs value, the
sides reduce separately TO o whence their
ratios are indsterminate AZ would appear by
the form O. IL mus, not 10 forgotten. how.
ave, ,h., ,,lv tho at, ya,,sh Tbo ,,ot,,
ana ,nnsoE,,a,,iy RE 80 81 ,ba s,s.. ,a'
nnains NO, nnly 4, tho ni,ims,a bu, -, tho
,,i,,n,a,a y. .rau pay.raad a. ,hi. I,ob, ,bo
,ns,hon,a,iai 80, ,a,,aI,,s ,n "a ,i,, ali
,ha s,,,.1',r1 ,,n,a,,,o. 81 ,ha Gnita Co.., 81
dn,,.d ,o t,s t,,i,i,na,a Tbns ,nnca;v vad H.
,,,,n, !. n, 80. ,.ha, ,,a a,,,,, a. 10 -,
by inyas,ins, m. nnint Win ,ha nroner to-
mnIa of axien.inn tho ras,,It ~ ba ;ts cor
rnsnordina sunra Thisi of dayainnnan,