Lanterna Rally

Author: Wm Ford Stanley

Publisher:

Published: 2015-08-05

Total Pages: 572

ISBN-13: 9781332237012

Excerpt from Experimental Researches Into the Properties and Motions of Fluids: With Theoretical Deductions Therefrom Although I feel personal prefaces are objectionable, I think it due to those who may follow me in this treatise to point out certain limits of my knowledge of the subject treated. I will therefore briefly state the circumstances under which it was written. Earlier than the past five years I had no intention of specially studying the subject, and had certainly no idea of writing upon it. I had previously to this period taken for the amusement of my leisure an experimental examination of the undulatory theory of light, which I could not satisfactorily comprehend. In following up my experiments for two years I found my eyesight impaired, and was advised that it would be necessary to leave these experiments, and also close application to reading, for some years, which I did very reluctantly. One branch of experiment, somewhat relative to my former studies, however, appeared open to me. The theory of undulation of light was generally introduced to our conception by philosophers by similitudes of the motions of water-waves and sound-waves; I thought I would investigate experimentally, as far as possible to me, to be assured our conceptions of these motions were real, upon inductive principles, similar to those I had been employing for investigation of light. In this subject, taking no preconceived theory whatever for my experiments, I soon became absorbed in observations of the motive effects evident in the directions taken by impressed forces in fluids under various conditions of resistance; wherein it appeared to me quite evident that there was yet an immense amount of work to be done in researches in the motions of fluids, before theoretical principles of the sciences of hydrodynamics and acoustics could be fixed upon mechanical principles with any great precision. It was therefore clear to me that in this direction I might, if I had the ability, enter upon fields of research quite as new as in my former studies. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.