144

NEW EXPERIMENTS

TRACT 34.

Before the pendulum was hung up this morning it weighed2119lb, having lost only 2lb the last 3 days, owing to thedampness of the weather in that time. It oscillated 398 in10 minutes, which gives n — 39-8 per minute. The ballsweight 6lb l-J-oz, and diameter 3 - 56 inches. The pendulumproved to be of bad unseasoned wood, so damp indeed thatthe water dropped out very fast, after the balls entered ; andmany splinters flew out at every shot. The first and secondrounds are doubtful, as both the balls came out: the firstpenetrated 42 inches, before it came out. The next 6 ballslodged, but the last 4 all came out, by striking near the edges,and ruined the pendulum by breaking several of the bars.—After the experiments were ended, the pendulum weighed20991b.

Now at first it weighed 2119lb.

Add for 6 balls lodged 361-

Ditto for 7 plugs 7~

The sum is 2163Being less than at first 64which must have been lost in splinters, bars, and lead facing,chiefly in the last 4 rounds.

It may be observed that the recoils are nearly, but a littlemore than, in proportion to the charges of powder.

190. In the following table are exhibited the mediums ofthe several circumstances and computed velocities, as broughttogether, and arranged in the order of the dates, after hav-ing, with great labour and patience prosecuted these experi-ments as far as practicable, with respect to the magnitude ofthe pendulums, the size of the balls, and the distance fromthe gun.