The English works of Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury, Volume 01 (of 11)Hobbes, Thomas
Philosophy
The English works of Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury, Volume 01 (of 11)
Hobbes, Thomas
Philosophy, English -- 17th century
For let A B (in fig. 2) represent a time, in whose first instant A let
the impetus be as the point A; but as the time proceeds, so let the
impetus increase continually in duplicate proportion to that of the
times, till in the last point of time B the impetus acquired be B I;
then taking the point F anywhere in the time A B, let the impetus F K
acquired in the time A F be ordinately applied to that point F. Seeing
therefore the proportion of F K to B I is supposed to be duplicate to
that of A F to A B, the proportion of A F to A B will be subduplicate to
that of F K to B I; and that of A B to A F will be (by chap. XIII. art.
16) duplicate to that of B I to F K; and consequently the point K will
be in a parabolical line, whose diameter is A B and base B I; and for
the same reason, to what point soever of the time A B the impetus
acquired in that time be ordinately applied, the strait line designing
that impetus will be in the same parabolical line A K I. Wherefore the
mean impetus multiplied into the whole time A B will be the parabola A K
I B, equal to the parallelogram A M, which parallelogram has for one
side the line of time A B and for the other the line of the impetus A L,
which is two-thirds of the impetus B I; for every parabola is equal to
two-thirds of that parallelogram with which it has its altitude and base
common. Wherefore the whole velocity in A B will be the parallelogram A
M, as being made by the multiplication of the impetus A L into the time
A B. And in like manner, if F N be taken, which is two-thirds of the
impetus F K, and the parallelogram F O be completed, F O will be the
whole velocity in the time A F, as being made by the uniform impetus A O
or F N multiplied into the time A F. Let now the length transmitted in
the time A B and with the velocity A M be the strait line D E; and
lastly, let the length transmitted in the time A F with the velocity A N
be D P; I say that as A M is to A N, or as the parabola A K I B to the
parabola A K F, so is D E to D P. For as A M is to F L, that is, as A B
is to A F, so let D E be to D G. Now the proportion of A M to A N is
compounded of the proportions of A M to F L, and of F L to A N. But as A
M to F L, so by construction is D E to D G; and as F L is to A N (seeing
the time in both is the same, namely, A F), so is the length D G to the
length D P; for lengths transmitted in the same time are to one another
as their velocities are. Wherefore by ordinate proportion, as A M is to
A N, that is, as the mean impetus A L multiplied into its time A B, is
to the mean impetus A O multiplied into A F, so is D E to D P; which was
to be proved.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account