Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1899-06-23
Oh No, Oily.


Little Oily, under the caption O
Perpetual Motion Possible" quotes
from " An Eastern scientific magazine
the following question and preposter
Gus answer:
Ii a hole passed through the cente
the earth, and cannon ball were
dropped in at one end, would not til,
force of inertia send it to the other end
if not beyond, or would the law of gravi
tation make it return to the center, ant
would it retain itself there without sup
port?'
Then the accredited answer follow.
in these words:
In about one hour and twenty min
utes after the ball, in the case supposed
had disappeared down the hole, it woult
return to the starting point, havin:
twice traversed entire the diameter O
the earth. If left to follow its own in
clination, it would at once drop bacl
into the hole and would perform the fea
again; and it would continue thus tC
travel to and fro through the hole, from
end to end, forever"
And then Oily adds his glad acclaim
OF an important discovery, that the
oscillating ball would be an institution
of perpetual motion, that will-o'-the
wisp" which has so often lighted 9
seemingly possible pathway to distinc
ton and renown. He says:
Now here is great chance for the
realization of the perpetual motion
scheme, If some enterprising individual
will only bore hole through the earth
and utilize the force of gravity applied
to the oscillating ball."
But alas! Oily predicates his hope
upon premises as far removed from
scientific principles as is the method
suggested from the range of practica.
bility, and which seems to have been
suggested by that Eastern scientific
magazine" in a spirit of levity that is
in strict accord with the injunction tc
answer a fool according to his folly.
Now suppose that the hole is bored
through Mother Earth and the can.
non ball ready to start upon its trans.
udatory journey. The diameter of the
earth being about 5000 miles, the dis.
lance the ball will have to travel in
the zone hour and twenty minutes
to "return to the starting-point,
would be approximately 10000 miles,
Still, according to the Eastern scien.
tific magazine" that cannon ball
would accomplish the journey in
"about one hour and twenty minutes, ~
and would therefore have to travel at
the rate of 200 miles a minute OF
three and one-third miles per second
velocity that would from friction
with the air fuse the proiectile before
it had performed half its journey.
Then, again, it is law of physics
governing inanimate objects that any
quality they possess, or is impaired to
them, is not expansive in character
nor are they capable of renewal of O
force lost from resistance of Interior
elements. Now the cannon-ball, when
it starts on its long journey in the
imaginary tunnel through the earth,
will encounter very formidable i'm.
pediment to its speed in the air, which
it is altogether supposable will fill the
passage from end to end. Instead Of
reaching the other side of the earth,
there will therefore be deficiency ex.
actly dependent upon the momentum
impaired by gravitation far as the
center OF the earth, and the same in.
fiuence as a counter-force the remain.
der of the journey. added to the re-
sistance of the air the whole distance
The same conditions apply on the re.
turn of the ball, and it could no more
reach the point of starting than could
q rubber ball when tossed from the
hand to the ground continue to re-
bound to the same height from which
it originally fell.