A Discourse Presented to the Most Serene Don Cosimo II., Great Duke of Tuscany, Concerning the Natation of Bodies Vpon, and Submersion In, the Water. — John Shaqi
A Discourse Presented to the Most Serene Don Cosimo II., Great Duke of Tuscany, Concerning the Natation of Bodies Vpon, and Submersion In, the Water.Galilei, Galileo
Science
A Discourse Presented to the Most Serene Don Cosimo II., Great Duke of Tuscany, Concerning the Natation of Bodies Vpon, and Submersion In, the Water.
Galilei, Galileo
Hydrostatics; Specific gravity
I return, therefore, to assert, that there is not any Solid of such
Levity, nor of such Figure, that being put upon the water, doth not
divide and penetrate its Crassitude: yea if any with a more
perspicatious eye, shall return to observe more exactly the thin
Boards of Wood, he shall see them to be with part of their thickness
under water, and not only with their inferiour Superficies, to kisse
the Superiour of the water, as they of necessity must have believed,
who have said, that such Boards submerge not, as not being able to
divide the Tenacity of the parts of the water: and, moreover, he shall
see, that subtle shivers of Ebony, Stone or Metall, when they float,
have not only broak the Continuity of the water, but are with all
their thickness, under the Surface of it; and more and more, according
as the Matters are more grave: so that a thin Plate of Lead, shall be
lower than the Surface of the circumfused water, by at least twelve
times the thickness of the Plate, and Gold shall dive below the Levell
of the water, almost twenty times the thickness of the Plate, as I
shall anon declare.
But let us proceed to evince, that the water yields and suffers it
self to be penetrated by every the lightest Body; and therewithall
demonstrate, how, even by Matters that submerge not, we may come to
know that Figure operates nothing about the going or not going to the
Bottom, seeing that the water suffers it self to be penetrated equally
by every Figure.
[Sidenote: The Experiment of a Cone, demitted with its Base, and
after with its Point downwards.]
Make a Cone, or a Piramis of Cypress, of Firre, or of other Wood of
like Gravity, or of pure Wax, and let its height be somewhat great,
namely a handfull, or more, and put it into the water with the Base
downwards: first, you shall see that it will penetrate the water, nor
shall it be at all impeded by the largeness of the Base, nor yet shall
it sink all under water, but the part towards the point shall lye
above it: by which shall be manifest, first, that that Solid forbeares
not to sink out of an inability to divide the Continuity of the water,
having already divided it with its broad part, that in the opinion of
the Adversaries is the less apt to make the division. The Piramid
being thus fixed, note what part of it shall be submerged, and revert
it afterwards with the point downwards, and you shall see that it
shall not dive into the water more than before, but if you observe how
far it shall sink, every person expert in Geometry, may measure, that
those parts that remain out of the water, both in the one and in the
other Experiment are equall to an hair: whence he may manifestly
conclude, that the acute Figure which seemed most apt to part and
penetrate the water, doth not part or penetrate it more than the large
and spacious.
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