2024-07-08

Last modified: 2024-07-08 21:33:51

Deschanel Treatise on Natural Philosophy

2 months ago I wrote down a selection of interesting-looking section titles, in 2024-05-06. But since then I haven't been bothered to read them all. Ruari suggested asking ChatGPT which of those sections it knew the least amount, and then just reading those ones. ChatGPT said:

Sure, here are ten sections that delve into topics I have less detailed information on: Chapter 5: Laws of Falling Bodies: Bourbouze's modification of Attwood's machine Chapter 8: Hydrostatics: Hydraulic tourniquet and Barker's mill Chapter 11: Vessels in Communication. Capillarity: Plateau's experiments Chapter 18: Efflux of Liquids: Vase of Tantalus Chapter 26: Ebullition: Spheroidal state Chapter 27: Measurement of Tension and Density of Vapours: Dalton's experiments on maximum tensions of aqueous vapour Chapter 32: Thermo-dynamics: Reversibility a test for maximum efficiency Chapter 52: Induction of Currents: Delezenne's circle Chapter 53: Acoustics: Production and Propagation of Sound: Chemical harmonica Chapter 41A: Electrometers: Replenisher These sections cover various lesser-known experiments, devices, and theories that might offer new insights and details outside the more commonly understood areas of physics.

And tbf I can't guess what any of those sections are about either. I'll "delve" into them now!

There is a poetry excerpt written in ink inside the cover.

"In the infinite book of nature a little can I read"

"So runs my dream: but what am I? An infant crying in the night: An infant crying for the light: And with no language but a cry. "

Tennyson

Re Bourbouze's modification of Attwood's machine: I'm skimming the section on Attwood's machine first; enjoyably it includes "anti-friction wheels" like in John Harrison's clocks, which are something we (almost? totally?) never use in modern engineering.

It is a machine for making measurements of gravity and somehow uses pulleys to slow things down so you can measure their acceleration more easily? But needs extremely low friction pulleys

Bourbouze's modification is just meant to make Attwood's machine cheaper/simpler.

The style of describing physical systems by referring to their individual parts with letters, labelled on a diagram, also seems to have fallen out of style. This is common in old clock books as well.

There is a diagram of a "loop-the-loop" roller coaster, captioned "Centrifugal Railway". Obviously this is from back when men were men and weren't afraid to talk about the centrifugal force in public.

Hydraulic Tourniquet:

This section is about conservation of momentum, but in the confused language of a 19th-century natural philosopher, and in the specific context of flowing liquid. The hydraulic tourniquet is basically a lawn sprinkler.

Plateau's experiments sound interesting. The gist is that the density of olive oil is in between water and alcohol, so make up a mixture of water and alcohol whose density matches that of olive oil, and then put some olive oil in it, the olive oil will apparently assume a spherical form, and if perturbed from this form will oscillate about it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yC8rybHKVY8

A Vase of Tantalus is a Pythagorean cup

"Spheroidal state" is about the Leidenfrost effect.