Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1894-04-20

latitude or the station. Al the equator the
value is 32 O9l, 32, 1912 Mt London, 32.l929 al
Edinborough, and -. 26S2 AT the pole. The
reason given for the use OF "octo" would give
rs "tria" "tetra." "penta" "A "hex," a
"hepta," an "ennea," "deka" and so on
indefinitely. The "octo" would be indefinite
and erroneous by fraction varying from
.023 to ,067. And II pupil be taught these
units, their inaccuracy will be worse than
than valueless to him in his after study; they
contain errors which must be corrected.
As to the calculus, certainly would intro
duce the calculus as soon as the boy has had
the elements OF algebra. Its solutions of
many problems is simplicity itself when com
pared to the laborious analysis of higher
algebra. This is illustrated by the fact that
few lines suffice to develop the law of
falling bodies by the calculus; while works
on physics usually devote several pages to it..
Problems which few now attempt by algebra,
are easily solved by the calculus.
As to instantaneous burning of the powder,
if il were possible to make such powder, l
would say this: A little investigation will
show to the professor that instantaneous
burning might burst some Guns; but mod
crate charge would not burst well made
gun. The quantities are easily calculable'
Knowing the total amount of gas "A given
amount of powder will form in burning and
that steel will resist about 5000 pounds
tension per square inch cross section OF metal,
we can readily calculate the size of the
chamber within which given charge of
taneously changed to gas the pressure will
come within the resisting strength of the
gun.
If Prof. Slater ignores momentum and Wis
viva, and imagines that they are intangible
elements "in formulas, and not always the
same" he has certainly not read the great
authorities on mechanics or has misunder-
stood them. Wis viva is nothing more nor
less than work, energy, the same thing as
that which the professor desgnates ulta; the
same as the foot pound. The unit of work
expressed as Wis viva is the work required to
lift pound mass through the space of one
foot in opposition TO a force which is capable
of producing, when exerted on one pound of
matter for one second of time velocity of
one foot ner second.
The fact that time, velocity, force and
mass are all expressed as unity, makes it the
simplest measure of work possible. Its
formula is : my square. III | may be
pardoned here the expression of my opinion
~ - t,o,1 NIL
he fears "Mr. Chase has not yet found out.
Momentum is the quantity of motion in a
body and is very different thing from either
work or force, though it is the most conven-
lent measure of the latter. We hear Of the
conservation of energy, and that the total
amount of energy in the universe is invari-
able; but we do not know that there is any
conservation of motion; apparently there is
not though some physicists hold that the
total amount of motion is also an invariabe
quantity-that when motion is apparently
lost it still exists in an occult form. How
this can be is perplexing problem which no
one has as yet solved. For example, if a 100
pound ball is shot upward 1000 feet and
caught at the top of a tower Just as it comes
to rest, and before il begins its return
journey, what has become of the motioni
Some was communicated to the earth and
some to the ball, but the force of gravity
brings them to rest 1000 feet apart. The
energy is conserved and will become kinetic,
by the return of the ball to the earth. We
say there can be no energy without motion,
but speak of the energy of the ball as
potential, energy due to its positions; but just
what has become of the energy, what has
become of the motion, how kinetic energy
can become potential, and vice versa, no one
has as yet satisfactorily explained. The
formula of momentum is NJ - nv, where M
is momentum, m the mass, and the
velocity.
AS an application Of Wis viva and momen-
tum, will give simple problem.
As ton gun throws 100 pound shot with
muzzle velocity of 1900 feet per second;
what energy is communicated to the ball and
what to the gun? Since equal forces produce
equal moments in equal times, the momen-
tum of gun and ball must be the same at
time of the balls leaving the gun; hence the
momentum of both must be 1000 x 100 or 100,-
0C0. But as the gun weighs 10000 pounds, its
initial velocity of recoilI must be 100000 = by
10000, or 10 feet per second. Applying the
formula - nv square. we have for the
energy of the ball Il Zoo 1000 1000 or Co.,
100000 units of energy expressed in terms of
Wis viva. Applying the same to the gun we
have for its energy of recoIl 4 10000 10 K
10) or 10000. That is, the energy COM
municated to the gun is but LOO part of that
communicated to the ball, though the mo-
mentum of both is the same. If we wish
foot pounds, all we have to do is to divide
Wis viva units by g, approximately 30 g. If
Prof. Slaters chart will solve such problems
in simpler manner, we have failed to
appreciate it. | am in serious doubt whether
he can solve it at all. if he ignores momen-
tum. In the professors answer to w. G. Hull
of Albion he concludes that there is no
classic authority on scientific TERMS" there
fore he makes terms to suit himself. OF
course, no one will deny him that privilege.
However. there could be no disagreement
among .scientificr man ma To tba raal