Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1897-04-29
THE MATHEMATICAL GOAT.
Wonderful Feats of Calculation in
His SaltatOrfaI Exercises.

His SaItatOriaI Exercises.
Almost every movement of a kid
proves the mountain origin of its race.
It's powers of climbing are extraor-
binary, and must be witnessed to be
believed. I have seen them Chamber on
slippery roofs and up the almost per-
pendicuIar face of a quarry to places
which seemed impossible to reach
without the aid of a ladder, or the
clinging power of claws or fingers. !
remember once seeing a pair of kids
running races up and down the shafts
of a disused farm-roller which were
tilted up at an angle of about As de-
grees. On the extreme ends of the
shafts, high in the air, the little crea-
lures would stand, one on each, and
turn about, as on pivot, with the tips
of all four hoofets close enough to-
gether to rest on a penny piece.
Such feats on the part of goat are
far more artistic exhibitions of skill
in climbing than anything that can be
done by eat or monkey, for he does
everything by calculating his distance
with absolute exaetftuGse and by an
infinitely delicate power of adjusting
What gives such finish to the perform
nee is his sublime confidence in him
self and the extraordinary precision
with which every movements is executed.
His Judgment is so perfect that he
scarcely ever makes a mistake. Ne
ccssity has been his grim Sehoo1master,
for it is, of course, easy TO see that
w3en leaping from ledge to ledge
along the face of a precipiee the least
error in calculating either his distance
or the amount of muscular force to be
exercised would instantly prove fatal.
This is a branch of the study of tat
uraI history which has peculiar fasci-
nation for me-, and which, the more /
think of it, fills, me with admiration and
aInazement. What a, mathema tician
the goat would make if he could only
ten rs the process by means OF which
he performs his feats.. A senior wran-
gler or a Smiths prizeTnan would be
nowhere beside him. Let me endeavor,
briefly, to point out the nature of Ger
tam problems which he is in the habit
of solving with absolute, accuracy at
q moments notice.
Surprising a goat, following a new
path, has to take a leap so as to alight
OF pinnacle or narrow crag overhang-
ing some abyss. First of all he mast
estimate the distance to be traversed,
and, having got it, whether by trigo-
n0metry or, by some Capricicns method
Of, his own he has next TO compute, to
the fraction of an ounce, how much
pxopulsive, force is required to project
his BODY (tfle exact weight of which has
to be taken into aceount) precisely that
distance and not a quarter of an inch
sarther Moreover, he must take into
calculation whether the spot he wishes
20 reach is above or below his starting
point; ard plainly his. brain, when it
sends forth motor impulses to tie nu-
merous- muscles involved must before
hand reckon and apportFon to each its
! share irr the task. Attfns same moment
he must also estimate the exact proper
tionate amount oSmuse+siar force which
will be. required in each of his limbs
to stopnand balance his body On his new
and prscarious Roofhoa3
Of course, ons. need scarcely say that
the whole process gGes on without
reaching the consciousness of the goat,
or anything that coEld. even by cour-
tesy. be called his mind. Bat, never
theltSs, it is Obvious that, in some wav
OF other, the celebration is made, and
is completed in a time and with an un-
erp5Hg accuracy which completely puts
to- shame TIE mathematical triumphS
Of the human Observation-Disclosures ,
| Magazine.