A View of Sir Isaac Newton's PhilosophyPemberton, Henry
Science
A View of Sir Isaac Newton's Philosophy
Pemberton, Henry
Newton, Isaac, 1642-1727. Principia
the motion of the first, but fall as much short of it, as the other
retains. For this rule is never deviated from, that though the degree
of elasticity determines how much more than half its velocity the body
first in motion shall lose; yet in every case the loss in the motion
of this body shall be transferred to the other, that other body always
receiving by the stroke as much motion, as is taken from the first.
30. This is the case of a body striking directly against an equal body
at rest, and the reasoning here used is fully confirmed by experience.
There are many other cases of bodies impinging against one another: but
the mention of these shall be reserved to the next chapter, where we
intend to be more particular and diffusive in the proof of these laws
of motion, than we have been here.
CHAP. II.
Farther proofs of the LAWS OF MOTION.
HAVING in the preceding chapter deduced the three laws of motion,
delivered by our great philosopher, from the most obvious observations,
that suggest them to us; I now intend to give more particular proofs
of them, by recounting some of the discoveries which have been made in
philosophy before Sir Isaac Newton. For as they were all collected by
reasoning upon those laws; so the conformity of these discoveries to
experience makes them so many proofs of the truth of the principles,
from which they were derived.
2. LET us begin with the subject, which concluded the last chapter.
Although the body in motion be not equal to the body at rest, on which
it strikes; yet the motion after the stroke is to be estimated in the
same manner as above. Let A (in fig. 3.) be a body in motion towards
another body B lying at rest. When A is arrived at B, it cannot proceed
farther without putting B into motion; and what motion it gives to
B, it must lose it self, that the whole degree of motion of A and B
together, if neither of the bodies be elastic, shall be equal, after
the meeting of the bodies, to the single motion of A before the stroke.
Therefore, from what has been said above, it is manifest, that as soon
as the two bodies are met, they will move on together with a velocity,
which will bear the same proportion to the original velocity of A, as
the body A bears to the sum of both the bodies.
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