The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-03-27

vessel is able to move faster than the
wind by which it is driven At first
sight the wary reader, unacquainted
with nautical matters, might imagine
this to be on all-fours with the query
put by King James to his savants, but,
as every yachtsman is aware, this Is
by no means the case. A ship really
can sail faster than the wind For ex-
ample. il may be bowling along at the
rate of fifteen knots an hour though
the wind at the time is blowing no
more than ten knots. This is fact
that may be proved any day by expert
ence; but, fact though il be, many a
practical sailor would have great diff
Guilty in giving any very clear eXplana-
ton of it. 1t is perfectly obvious that
when the vessel is driving straight be
fore the wind it is out of the question
TO suppose that it can travel at "A rate
quicker than the wind is. blowing-in
deed. for one reason or another, it's rate
of progression will be much less than
that of the wind. When it is sailing at
an angle with the wind. however, the
case is different. and then, paradox
zeal as ii must appear to many lands
man, it may far outstriD the wind.
An ordinary billiard table will suf-
flee to furnish the required demonstra-
ton. Begin by laying the long cue
al one side of the table from end 70
end. Assume now that the cue, when
OF your arm. represents the wind If
the cue encounters a bah in it's pas
sage, it will evidently push it across
the table, just as the wind would
vessel driving straight before it; cue
and ball will travel at identically the
same speed. Iagine, however, that
groove is cut diagonally across the
table from corner 10 corner. and that
in this groove the ball is laid When
the cue encounters the ball now ii will
Il - oil IL he
table, as before. but toward the cor
ner pocket. at the end of the groove.
But the time the cue has been moved
from one side of the table to the
other the ball may have travelled diago-
nally from one end to the other end,
evidently a much longer distance. In
precisely similar fashion is lacking
ship enabled to sail faster than the
wind.
Donkeys says a Frenchman who has
made a study Of them, are very clever
animals and often surpass the dog.
Yet, if we are TO believe logical theO-
rists, a donkey placed exactly mid
way between two hayTicks would
starVe to death. since there is no rea-
son know to these gentlemen why he
should select one hayrick rather than
the other Personally, We should be
inclined to believe that the donkey
would very soon find A way out Of the
difficulty, and would not remain in a
position of such nnStaDle equilibrium
a moment longer than the time strict
ly necessary to reconnoiter the posi-
ton.
There is another class of propositions
which leads to very curious results and
explains away in a perfectly simple and
natural manner many of those so-called
extraordinary condolences which set
simple souls marveling al the vagaries
of chance
How would you prove. for in
stance, that there are at least two
persons i'm the world who have pre-
cisely the same number OF hairs on
their head"
Calculate if you are able, the largest
number of hairs any one individual
can possibly have on his head II you
have no data to go upon, put your es-
innate as high as you reasonably dare.
A million is a large number, but. to
make assurance doubly sure, say, If
you like. that there are heads on
which as many 100, 600 900 hairs are
| TO be counted. You viii still be far
short of the total population of the
world. Once admit this. and the case
| is proved If the number of individu-
abs living exceeds but by two your
| largest estimate of the number Of hairs
| on any one individuals head, then
| must there be at least two indiVidu-
| ais with exactly the same number OF
| hairs. Even surprising that one indi-
| Vidual has a mead innocent of hair
| as a billiard ball. and that 100. 900 OOt
! possess from !, 900. 900 to 100 000, 900 hairs
| apiece the head Of the second man
/ over your 100 600. 600 must have its ex-
act counterpart sOmWhere among the
rest.-Cirand Magazine.