Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1899-08-25
A HOARY PROBLEM.
II Cannon Bs Fired From Car Travel
Ing At the Rate ofR Mile Minute, SC.

II n Cannon Be Fired From Car Travel /
ing at the Rate of It Mile Minute, SC.
The question was sprung in Bohe- |
mian den on Orleans street, after the
coffee was brought In. Suppose Il
cannon was mounted on an engine
said one of the Inner Circle, "an1
was"
"Awi that's as old as Patti" sneprcd
privileged guest, and as simple as
A b G."
Shut up" replied the charter mem
Der calmly, "and listen to the propos-
tlOn. S'pose cannon was mounted
on IA locomotive. pointing backward.
The cannon Is so charged that It car
ries ball exactly one mile in exactly
one minute and the engine Is moving
fu"wnrh mt n-milc-a-mlnute sppnu.
When the cannon Is fired what be-
comes Ui the bHllT'
plain as day" declared the priv,-
legged guest, VINO had been fidgethg
,'''ir" the statement When tn.
cannon is fired the ball begins its
flight and thereafter has nothing to do
with the engine OI the gun. 1t simply
wings through space for mile from
It's point Of departure, and there II
stops. This, according to the PROPOSE
tiOn, requires one minute, during
which time the locomotive has been
travelling steadily In the opposite di.
rcCtiOn ut equal speed, and has there
fore, also covered one mile from the
place Of explosion. Distance between
- uoiut nf arrival ana uuint at which
ball drops two miles. It's clear as hy-
drant water. Gimme n cigarette
sOmpbudY.'
"Your explanation is dead wrong "
] 4 a.
| ing swiftly 1T ignores the most es.
scntnl factor i'm the whole problem.
| You must remember. when the cannon
is fired, that the engine is travelling in
( the opposite direction at the rate of a
mile minute I'm other words. the
/ tube, or gun itself is being drawn
away from the ball at exactly the
same speed the ball would develop II
| the gun was stationary, thus neuralia-
| ing the effect uf the powder.
1t Is rs II YOU struck nt II man at
/ the rate of ten feet second and leap.
! ed backward at the same tspeHh.
/ Naturally, you wouldn't hit him The
| ball. Of course, simply drops at the
muzzlp Of the cannon. 1t don't go an
/ inch. 1t Is inert, dead and mOtiOnles 3,
resembling, in ti.at respect. the think
ing machine " the gentleman who has
lust favored MS with his amusing ~
"Belav thernn' exclaimed the poet
lauriate of the Quarter Latin "do.'t
get so gay and naughty! You've dim
" upprehendrd the principle involved.
but you've still away off yourself from
the real Pearl Of Truth. Listen to the
only genuine Buddha: Your eXplanH-
ton is based on the assumption that
the speed Of the ball and speed Of the
engine neutra'iZe each other because
they are equal" yep" admitted the
charter member grudgingly. Pre-
csely.k = continued the poet, "and there,
my boy. is where YOU fall down.
Their speeds are not equal
"The engine is moving forward at a
mile minute and goes as fast at one
part of its Journey as at another, but
the speed of the ball, on the contrary
is constantly diminishing, until 4
drops spent mt the end of its flight II
is evident. therefore, that II starts al
much more than a mile a minute, am
as equality If speed is the basis o.
your childish theory, you will consider
Yourself SQuClChed. Tell the miniol
to pass the grOwler.'
The charter member leapcd wTatl
fully to his feet and Ave others begnI
TO talk simultaneously. "Orderr' erie
the boss bohemian, pounding on tia
table with n mahl-stick. "GentlemeT
: | stop yelling or the place will bc pulled
This problem was unfortunate, but
illustrates most of the affairs of life
We are deceived by surface simplicity
. rush widely at conclusions and take
. crOppcr over some small, unObstrusiv
+ fact which we hadn't noticed.
THE cannon COnundrum reeks wit
fipndish subtleties. The ball. for eN
ample, partakes of the momentum O
the engine, which must be OvercOm
. before it budges. Then again, it is i'm
pOrtant to know whether it was fire
with or against the revolution of tn
earth. Again you must determine wha
percentage Of the speed of the projeC
tile Is developed before 1t reaches tn
muZzle, and that in turn involves tn
length of the tube and character Of tn
: bore.
"These are things it would take
skilled mathematician 'steen months T.
figure out They would carry them in
to diferential calculus and probably in
TO the asylum. Therefore in the inter
est Of sanity, | declare the question
barred. New Orleans Times-DemO
crat.