Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1888-06-22

Now. IL they thus commune 10 swallow
each other, sohat ,oiH eventualty become
of the snakes?' ~
OF course, it Is clear that either the
swallowing process must stop some
where. or that the snakes will vanish
down each others's throats. at what
point, then. will the swallowing ceasee
II the reader finds himself ready on
the spot with clear and precise an
swer to this question he will have
proved himself Of a reader wit than
the guest of the aforementioned
wine-party. A little consideration.
however, will probably be sufficient to
clear up the mystery. and. like the
preceding enigma OF the railway. the
problem may safely be loft to the ex-
animation of the ingenious.
(which, of any given moment, is
moving forward fastest, the top of a
coach wheel or the bottom?" To this
apparently very simple question nine
persons out of ten, asked at random.
will give an incorrect reply. For at
first sight it appears evident that both
the top and bottom Of the wheel must
of necessity be moving forward at the
same rate, namely. the speed ut which
the carriage is travelling. Bat little
thought will show that this is far from
being the case. A point on the bot
tom of the wheel is. in fact, by the di.
rection of its motion round the axis.
moving backward, in an opposite di-
rection to that in which the carriage
is progressing. and is consequently
stationary in space; while point on
the top Of the wheel is moving for
ward. with the double velocity of it's
own motion round the axis and the
speed at which the carriage moves.
The following paradox. which has
given rise to much discussion, is some-
what akin to the preceding: '.How can
a ship sail faster than the wind?"
Every yachtsman knows that a ship
can sail faster than the wind; that is
to say. If the wind is blowing ten
knots an hour. ship may be making
twelve or fifteen knots an hour. Now,
it Is obvious that If the ship is sailing
straight before the wind it can not, ut
the utmost, travel faster than the
wind itself is blowing-as a matter OF
fact, it will travel much more slowly.
IT, on the other hand. the ship is sail
ing at IN angle with the wind. it seems
at first sight that the wind must act
with less effect than before. and the
ship in consequence sail more slowly
still But as matter Of fact the ship
not only sails more quickly than be-
fore. but more quickly than the wind
itself 10 blowing. This is a paradox
which few. even of those vino are we'll
acquainted by experience with the
fact have found themselves able to
explain.
Let us consider the difficulty in the
light of the following experiment.:
Place q ball at one side of billiard
table. and with the long cue held
len gthwise. from end to end of the
table. push the ball across the cloth.
The cue here represents the wind. and
the ball the ship sailing directly before
1t; only as there is here no waste OF
energy, which in the case of the wind
and ship is very great the ball. OF
course. travels at the same rate as the
cue-evidently 1t can not possibly
travel faster. Now. suppose q groove
to be cut diagonally across the table.
from one corner pocket to the other,
in which the ball may roll. If the
ball be now placed at one end of the
groove. and the cue held horizontally
and moved forward as before. the bal
will travel along the groove (ant
along the cue) in the same time as the
cue takes to move across the table
This is the case of the ship sailing a
an angle with tho direction of tn
wind. The groove is considerably
| longer than the width of the table
more than double as long. in fact
The ball. therefore. travels much fast
err than the cue which impels it. sin c.
it covers more than double the dis
lance in the same time. It h In precise
| ly the same manner that . tackin.
ship Is enabled to sail faster than tn
wind.
The foregoing mysteries Of motion
bring to mind the famous paradox O
Zeno. by which he sought to prove tina
all motion is i'm possible. "A body.
thus argues the ingenious philoso
pher. ''must move either in the plac
whore it is. or in the place where it
not. Now. body in the place wher,
it Is is stationary. and can not be i,
motion; nor. obviously. can it be IL
motion in the place where it is not
Therefore. it can not move at ALL" ]
was of this paradox it was said. solvitu
ambulando-'It is solved by walk
ing" A more practical solution coult
hardly be required.
Another paradox familiar to tn
Greeks-that of Achilles and the tor
toise--is we'll known. Achilles 9TH
swift-footed) allows the tortoise
hundred yards start and runs tel
yards while the tortoise runs one
Now. when Achilles has run hun