Scientific American Supplement, No. 288, July 9, 1881Various
Science
Scientific American Supplement, No. 288, July 9, 1881
Various
Science -- Periodicals
The part of the instrument that draws the curve is a three-wheeled cart
of lead, whose front wheel, F, is mounted, not as a caster, but like the
steering wheel of a bicycle. When such a cart is moved, the front wheel,
F, can only move in the direction of its own plane, whatever be the
position of the cart; if, therefore, the cart is so moved that F is in
the line, ee, and at the same time has its plane parallel to the rod,
AB, then F must necessarily describe the required curve, and if it is
made to pass over a sheet of black tracing paper, the required curve
will be _drawn_. The upper end of the T square is raised above the
paper, and forms a bridge, under which the cart travels. There is a
longitudinal slot in this bridge in which lies a horizontal wheel,
carried by that part of the cart corresponding to the head of a bicycle.
By this means the horizontal motion communicated to the front wheel of
the cart by the bridge, is equal to that of the pointer, A; at the same
time the cart is free to move vertically.
The mechanism employed to keep the plane of the front wheel of the cart
parallel to AB is made clear by the figure. Three equal wheels at the
ends of two jointed arms are connected by an open band, as shown. Now,
in an arrangement of this kind, however the arms or the wheels are
turned, lines on the wheels, if ever parallel, will always be so. If,
therefore, the wheel at one end is so supported that its rotation is
equal to that of AB, while the wheel at the other end is carried by the
fork which supports F, then the plane of F, if ever parallel to AB, will
always be so. Therefore, when A is made to trace any given curve, F will
draw a curve whose ascent is (1/K) f y dx, and this, multiplied by K, is
the area required.
[Illustration: AN INTEGRATING MACHINE.]
Not only does the machine integrate y dx, but if the plane of the front
wheel of the cart is set at right angles instead of parallel to AB, then
the cart finds the integral of dx / y, and thus solves problems, such,
for instance, as the time occupied by a body in moving along a path when
the law of the velocity is known.
Some modifications of the machine already described will enable it to
integrate squares, cubes, or products of functions, or the reciprocals
of any of these.
Of the various curves exhibited which have been drawn by the machine,
the following are of special physical interest.
Given the inclined straight line y = cx, the machine draws the parabola
y = cx² / 2. This is the path of a projectile, as the space fallen is as
the area of the triangle between the inclined line, the axis of x, and
the traveling ordinate.
Given the curve representing attraction y = 1 / x² the machine draws the
hyperbola y = 1 / x the curve representing potential, as the work done
in bringing a unit from an infinite distance to a point is measured
by the area between the curve of attraction, the axis of x, and the
ordinate at that point.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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