Newton's Principia : $b The mathematical principles of natural philosophyNewton, Isaac
General
Newton's Principia : $b The mathematical principles of natural philosophy
Newton, Isaac
Celestial mechanics -- Early works to 1800; Mechanics -- Early works to 1800
It is a property of motion, that the parts, which retain given
positions to their wholes, do partake of the motions of those wholes.
For all the parts of revolving bodies endeavour to recede from the axis
of motion; and the impetus of bodies moving forward, arises from the
joint impetus of all the parts. Therefore, if surrounding bodies are
moved, those that are relatively at rest within them, will partake of
their motion. Upon which account, the true and absolute motion of a
body cannot be determined[Pg 80] by the translation of it from those which
only seem to rest; for the external bodies ought not only to appear at
rest, but to be really at rest. For otherwise, all included bodies,
beside their translation from near the surrounding ones, partake
likewise of their true motions; and though that translation were not
made they would not be really at rest, but only seem to be so. For the
surrounding bodies stand in the like relation to the surrounded as the
exterior part of a whole does to the interior, or as the shell does
to the kernel; but, if the shell moves, the kernel will also move, as
being part of the whole, without any removal from near the shell.
A property, near akin to the preceding, is this, that if a place is
moved, whatever is placed therein moves along with it; and therefore
a body, which is moved from a place in motion, partakes also of the
motion of its place. Upon which account, all motions, from places in
motion, are no other than parts of entire and absolute motions; and
every entire motion is composed of the motion of the body out of its
first place, and the motion of this place out of its place; and so
on, until we come to some immovable place, as in the before-mentioned
example of the sailor. Wherefore, entire and absolute motions can be
no otherwise determined than by immovable places; and for that reason
I did before refer those absolute motions to immovable places, but
relative ones to movable places. Now no other places are immovable
but those that, from infinity to infinity, do all retain the same
given position one to another; and upon this account must ever remain
unmoved; and do thereby constitute immovable space.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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