The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-09-22

In the SIX preceding papers | have tried
to give as clear an idea of the principle of
klnetlc stability, and it's action in the case
OF gravity, as the columns of a popular
newspaper would permit. I have shown
how kinetic energy produces kinetic stabil-
1ty IN the case of the bicycle, and how the
beautiful sinuous curves of elastic motion
are produced by the same principle, in the
case OF water issuing under pressure from
a garden hose nozzle. By merely vibrating
or shaking the nozzle five or six times
IN second you can get quite number of
vibrations, in which you have visible
proof that the attraction of gravity has
nothing to do with the production of
natural curves.
We have similar illustration in the
smoke rings, although mathematical an
alysls has tried to prove that the
stability is due to components of gravity
and buoyancy, but the proof is more con-
vincing when the factor of kinetic stability
is introduced. l am sure whenever the
experiments l have given in my pamphlet
on Elasticity Mode of Motion" are
verified by the scientists at the California
University they will ind the truth OF this
great natural principle.
Before closing the series l would like to
say few words to the mathematicians who
take an interest in this subject. In my
pamphlet l have gwen the economically
kinetic proof that: Every body which has
kinetic energy has also kinetic stability,
and that its kipetic stability acts as a
latent energy, at right angles, and always
equal to the kinetic energy. You are
aware, of course, that it is quite impossible
for me to introduce the calculus into a
newspaper article so as to give the analyti-
cal proof necessary to establish scientific
principle, and so bring it under the con-
troll of mathematical analysis. However,
by means OF words and few symbol
cal equations l think l can make
my meaning sufficiently clear to put you
on the right way to study the subject; so
that those who can use the calculus with the
same ea-a and confidence that wood
turner can use his lathe will be enabled to
produce some wonderful results from the
artistic manipulation of this greatest of all
the natural principles.
Those of you who are familiar with the
works of Lame, Clark Maxwell, Stokes,
Kelvin and TAFT will know how assid-
uously those great mathematicians
searched for this hidden principle; how
Green in his search for the potential and
Fourier in his great harmonic function,
Gauss in his least action and Hamilton
in his stationary and varying action
and characteristic function, spent
their lives in developing the great
harmonic analysis, with the fervent hope
in their breast that the great potential
principle of nature would by that means
be discovered to be a mode of motion.
Those of you who are not so familiar with
the glorious and controlling faith which
spurred those great philosophers on to high
and mighty endeavor should read Sir
William Thomson's lecture on the Elias
ITCHY of Notion" (See volume 1 of his
Popular Lectures in the ibraries.)
Many people think that this principle
1 have discovered and am trying to explain
to the readers of THE CALL Is something
which, even if true. is of little practical
value; but they will yet find that its in
trinsic worth does not depend on their
opinion. Had l been a scientific author
ity, like Kelvin or LIE Conte, and had all
my command to verify the principle by
experiment in a vacuum, the leading
publishers of the world would have
been milling over each other to
secure the right to publish the discovery,
and the copyright OF these seven papers
would have yielded their author thousands
of dollars.
Let me quote the words of one OF the
greatest mathematic1ans of this age, who
is also great natural philosopher.
In the Encyclopaedia Britannica, ninth
edition, volume Is, page 74S, section 297, in
that SpleQQlQ Oh h6CndulCS,
Professor P. G. TAFT of Edinburgh, in
discussing the characteristics of energy,
says:
but there is one point of Importance
connected with energy, OF SURPRISING in
portance IN mechanical science, viz: That
when two measurable quantities OF any
kind are equivalent to the other, their
numerical expressions must involve the
same fundamental units and in the same
manner. This is obvious from the fact
that an alteration of any unit alters
in the inverse ratio the numerical
measure of any quantity, which is
a mere multiple of it. And equivalent
quantities must always be expressed by
equal numbers when both are measured IN
terms of the same system of units. 1t
appears, therefore, from the conservation
of energy directly, as we'll as from the spe-
cial data already given, that potential en-
ergy must, ike kinetic energy, be OF dl-
mansions [lfL2T-2l. Now, il IS impossible
to conceive of truly dormant form
of energy whose magnitude should depend
in any way on the unit Of time; and we
are therefore forced to the conclusion that
potential energy, like kinetic energy, de-
ponds lin some as yet unexplained or
rather unimagined way) upon motion.
And the conclusion which appears inevlta-
bic is that whatever, matter may be the
other reality in the physical universe, en-
ergy, depends in all its widely varied
forms upon matter in motion"
Now the principle of kinetic stability
explains all the difficulty and goes one
step further and proves that matter itself
is form of energy. In the line of har--
monic analysis both Kelvin, Fourier and
TAFT have shown how simple harmonic
motion and vibrations of an elastic
string, such as the sinuous curves
we saw in the vibration of the water par
ticles issuing from small nozzle, can by
superposition be transformed into elliptical
motion similar to that of the planets
around the sun, and strictly observing the
law of the inverse square of the distance;
when the time of the periodic motion was as
the sesouiplicate ito of halfthe maj axis.
So that what is left for me to do is simply
to explain fundamentally how the super
position of two transverse energies will
produce elastic motion and potential en-
ergv. When once you know that then you
can. by the intelligent application OF La
Oranges system OF generalized co-ordi-
mates. or by the polar method and Fou-
rier's function and the calculus, work out
multitude OF surprising results.
According to my definition, kinetlc
stability is that latent energy exhibited by
a conservative system, in virtue OF which
~ - of 10 system NAV be in