310

NEW EXPERIMENTS

TRACT 34.

“ (4.) So that, universally, shot which are of differentweights, and impelled by the firing of different quantitiesof pow'der, acquire velocities which are directly as the squareroots of the quantities of powder, and inversely as the squareroots of the weights of the shot, nearly.

“ (5.) It would therefore be a great improvement in ar-tillery, to make use of shot of a long form, or of heaviermatter; for thus the momentum of a shot, when fired withthe same weight of powder, ■would be increased in the ratioof the square root of the weight of the shot.

“(6.) It would also be an improvement, to diminish thewindage ; for, by so doing, one third or more of the quantityof powder might be saved.

“ ('?•) When the improvements mentioned in the last twoarticles are considered as both taking place, it is evidentthat about half the quantity of powder might be saved ;which is a very considerable object. But, important as thissaving may be, it seems to be still exceeded by that of theguns: for thus a small gun may be made to have the effect andexecution of one of two or three times its-size, in the pre-sent way, by discharging a long shot of two or three timesthe weight of its natural ball, or round shot: and thus asmall ship might discharge shot as heavy as those of thegreatest now made use of.

“ Finally, as the above experiments exhibit the regu-lations with regard to the weight of powder and balls, whenfired from the same piece of ordnance ; so, by makingsimilar experiments with a gun, varied in its length, bycutting off from it a certain part before each course of expe-riments, the effects and general rules for the differentlengths of guns, may with dertainty be determined by them.In short, the principles on which these experiments weremade, are so fruitful in consequences, that, in conjunctionwith the effects of the resistance of the medium, they appearto be sufficient for answering all the inquiries of the spe-culative philosopher, as. well as those of the practicalartillerist.”