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But if the perpendicular fall without the base, as cb; then the body will tumble over on that side: because in turning on the point a, the centre c descends by describing the descending arc се.

207. Corol. 1. If a perpendicular, drawn from the centre of gravity, fall just on the extremity of the base; the body may stand; but any the least force will cause it to fall that way. And the nearer the perpendicular is to any side, or the narrower the base is, the easier it will be made to fall, or be pushed over that way; because the centre of gravity has the less height to rise: which is the reason that a globe is made to roll on a smooth plane by any the least force. But the nearer the perpendicular is to the middle of the base or the broader the base is, the firmer the body stands.

208. Corol. 2. Hence if the centre of gravity of a body be supported, the whole body is supported. And the place of the centre of gravity must be accounted the place of the body: for into that point the whole matter of the body may be supposed to be collected, and therefore all the force also with which it endeavours to descend.

209. Corol. 3. From the property which the centre of gravity has, of always descending to the lowest point, is derived an easy echanical method of finding that centre.

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Thus, if the body be hung up by any point a, and a plumb line AB be hung by the same point, it will pass through the centre of gravity; because that centre is not in the

lowest point till it fall in the plumb line.
Mark the line AB on it. Then hang the
body up by any other point D, with a plumb

line DE, which will also pass through the
centre of gravity, for the same reason as B CA

before; and therefore that centre must be

at c where the two plumb lines cross each

other.

210. Or, if the body be suspended by two or more cords GF, GH, &c. then a plumb line from the point a will cut the body in its centre of gravity G.

211. Like

211. Likewise, because a body rests when its centre of gravity is supported, but not else; we hence derive another easy method of finding that centre mechanically. For, if the body be laid on the edge of a prism, or over one side of a table, and moved backward and forward till it rest, or balance itself; then is the centre of gravity just over the line of the edge. And if the body be then shifted into another position, and balanced on the edge again, this line will also pass by the centre of gravity; and consequently the intersection of the two will give the centre itself.

PROPOSITION ΧΧΧΙΧ.

212. The common Centre of Gravity c of any two Bodies A, B, divides the Line joining their Centres, into two Parts, which are Reciprocally as the Bodies.

That is, AC: BC B:A.

For, if the centre of gravity c be supported, the two

bodies A and B will be supported,

and will rest in equilibrio. But

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by the nature of the lever, when

B

two bodies are in equilibrio about a fixed point c, they are reciprocally as their distances from that point; therefore

A:B::CB: CA.

213. Corol. 1. Hence AB : AC:: A + B : B; or, the whole distance between the two bodies, is to the distance of either of them from the common centre, as the sum of the bodies is to the other body.

214. Corol. 2. Hence also, CA.ACB.B; or the two products are equal, which are made by multiplying each body by its distance from the centre of gravity.

215. Corol. 3. As the centre c is pressed with a force equal, to both the weights A and B, while the points A and B are each pressed with the respective weights A and B. Therefore, if the two bodies be both united in their common centre c, and only the ends A and B of the line AB be supported, each will still bear, or be pressed by the same weights A and B as before. So that, if a weight of 100lb. be laid on a bar at c, supported by two men at a and B, distant from c, the one 4 feet, and the other 6 feet; then the nearer will bear the weight of 60lb, and the farther only 40lb. weight.

216, Corol.

11

216. Corol. 4. Since the effect of any body to turn a lever about the fixed point c, is as that body and

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as its distance from that point; therefore, if c be the common
centre of gravity of all the bodies A, B, D, E, F, placed in the
straight line AF; then is, CA. A+CB.B=CD.D+CE:E+
CF. F; or, the sum of the products on one side equal to the
sum of the products on the other, made by multiplying each
body by its distance from that centre. And if several bodies
be in equilibrium on any straight lever, then the prop. is in the
centre of gravity.

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217, Corol. 5. And though

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the bodies be not situated in

a straight line, but scattered Pa

about in any promiscuous man

ner, the same property as in the

last corollary still holds true,

if perpendiculars to any line

whatever, af be drawn through

the several bodies, and their common centre of gravity, name

ly, that ca: A + cb = cd D+Ce. E + cf. F. For the
bodies have the same effect on the line af, to turn it about the
point c, whether they are placed at the points a, b, d, e, f, or
in any part of the perpendiculars Aa, Bb, Dd, Ee, Ff.

PROPOSITION XL.

218. If there be three or more Bodies, and if a line be drawn
from any one Body D to the Centre of Gravity of the rest c;
then the Common Centre of Gravity E of all the Bodies, divides
the line CD into two Parts in E, which are Reciprocally Pro-
portional as the Body D to the sum of all the other Bodies.

That is, CE: ED:: D: A + B &c.

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217. Corol. Hence we have a method of finding the common centre of gravity of any number of bodies; namely, by first finding the centre of any two of them, then the centre of that centre and a third, and so on for a fourth, or fifth, &c.

PROPOSITION

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220. If there be taken any Point P, in the Line passing through the Centres of Gravity of two Bodies; then the sum of the two Products, of each Body multiplied by its Distance from that Point, is equal to the Product of the Sum of the Bodies multiplied by the Distance of their Cominon Centre of Gravity c from the same Point P.

That is, PA. A + PB. B= PC. A + B.

For, by the 38th, CA. A = Cв. в,

that is, PA-PC. APC-PB.B; therefore by adding,

PA.A+FB.B=PC.A+B.

:

A

't

CPRP

1

B

221. Corol. 1. Hence, the two bodies A and B have the same force to turn the lever about the point r, as if they were both placed in c their common centre of gravity.

Or, if the line, with the bodies, move about the point p; the sum of the momenta of A and B, is equal to the momentum of the sums, or A+B placed at the centre c.

222. Corol. 2. The same is also true of any number of bodies whatever, as will appear by cor. 4, prop. 39, namely, PA.APB.B+PD.D&c. = PC. A + B + D &C. where P is in any point whatever in the line ac.

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And, by cor. 5, prop. 39, the same thing is true when the bodies are not placed in that line, but any where in the perpendiculars passing through the points A, B, D, &c.; namely,

Pa

▲ + Pb. B+ Pd D&C. = PC. A + B + D &c.

223. Corol. 3. And if a plane pass through the point r perpendicular to the line cr; then the distance of the common centre of gravity from that plane, is

PC

PA. A + PB B+ Pd. D &c.

A + B + D &c.

that is, equal to the sum

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of all the forces divided by the sum of all the bodies. Or, if A, B, D, &c. be the several particles of one mass or compound body; then the distance of the centre of gravity of the body, below any given point r, is equal to the forces of all the particles divided by the whole mass or body, that is, equal to all the PA .A, Pb. B, Pd. D, &c. divided by the body or sum of particles A, B, D, &c.

PROPOSITION

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PROPOSITION XLII.

224. To find the Centre of Gravity of any Body, or of any Sys

tem of Bodies.

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225. Or, if b be any body, and QPR any plane; draw PAB &c. perpendicular to QR, and through A, B, &c. draw innume

rable sections of the body b parallel

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to the plane QR. Let's denote any
of these sections, and d = PA, Or PB,
&c. its distance from the plane QR.
Then will the distance of the centre
of gravity of the body from the plane

R

:

be PC

sum of all the d's

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the distance be thus found for two in-
tersecting planes, they will give the
point in which the centre is placed.

And if

1

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226.. But the distance from one plane is sufficient for any regular body, because it is evident that in such a figure, the centre of gravity is in the axis, or line passing through the centres of all the parallel sections.

Thus, if the figure be a parallelogram, or a cylinder, or any prism whatever; then the axis or line, or plane rs, which bisects all the sections. parallel to QR, will pass through the

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centre of gravity of all those sections, and
consequently through that of the whole figure
C. Then, all the sections s being equal, and
the body b = PS. s, the distance of the centre
will be PC =

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