Discourse on Floating Bodies Part 9

I will not on this occasion forbear to give warning of another fallacy of these persons, who attribute the reason of sinking or swimming to the greater or lesse Resistance of the Cra.s.situde of the water against Division, making use of the example of an Egg, which in sweet water goeth to the bottom, but in salt water swims; and alledging for the cause thereof, the faint Resistance of fresh water against Division, and the strong Resistance of salt water. But if I mistake not, from the same Experiment, we may aswell deduce the quite contrary; namely, that the fresh water is more dense, and the salt more tenuous and subtle, since an Egg from the bottom of salt water speedily ascends to the top, and divides its Resistance, which it cannot do in the fresh, in whose bottom it stays, being unable to rise upwards. Into such like perplexities, do false Principles Lead men: but he that rightly Philosophating, shall acknowledge the excesses of the Gravities of the Moveables and of the Mediums, to be the Causes of those effects, will say, that the Egg sinks to the bottom in fresh water, for that it is more grave than it, and swimeth in the salt, for that its less grave than it: and shall without any absurdity, very solidly establish his Conclusions.

Therefore the reason totally ceaseth, that _Aristotle_ subjoyns in the Text saying[93]; The things, therefore, which have great breadth remain above, because they comprehend much, and that which is greater, is not easily divided. Such discoursing ceaseth, I say, because its not true, that there is in water or in Air any Resistance of Division; besides that the Plate of Lead when it stays, hath already divided and penetrated the Cra.s.situde of the water, and profounded it self ten or twelve times more than its own thickness: besides that such Resistance of Division, were it supposed to be in the water, could not rationally be affirmed to be more in its superiour parts than in the middle, and lower: but if there were any difference, the inferiour should be the more dense, so that the Plate would be no less unable to penetrate the lower, than the superiour parts of the water; nevertheless we see that no sooner do we wet the superiour Superficies of the Board or thin Piece of Wood, but it precipitatly, and without any retension, descends to the bottom.

[93] Text 45.

I believe not after all this, that any (thinking perhaps thereby to defend _Aristotle_) will say, that it being true, that the much water resists more than the little, the said Board being put lower descendeth, because there remaineth a less Ma.s.s of water to be divided by it: because if after the having seen the same Board swim in four Inches of water, and also after that in the same to sink, he shall try the same Experiment upon a profundity of ten or twenty fathom water, he shall see the very self same effect. And here I will take occasion to remember, for the removall of an Error that is too common; That that s.h.i.+p or other whatsoever Body, that on the depth of an hundred or a thousand fathom, swims with submerging only six fathom of its own height, [_or in the Sea dialect, that draws six fathom water_] shall swim in the same manner in water, that hath but six fathom and half an Inch of depth[94]. Nor do I on the other side, think that it can be said, that the superiour parts of the water are the more dense, although a most grave Authour hath esteemed the superiour water in the Sea to be so, grounding his opinion upon its being more salt, than that at the bottom: but I doubt the Experiment, whether hitherto in taking the water from the bottom, the Observatour did not light upon some spring of fresh water there spouting up: but we plainly see on the contrary, the fresh Waters of Rivers to dilate themselves for some miles beyond their place of meeting with the salt water of the Sea, without descending in it, or mixing with it, unless by the intervention of some commotion or turbulency of the Windes.

[94] A s.h.i.+p that in 100 Fathome water draweth 6 Fathome, shall float in 6 Fathome and 1/2 an Inch of depth.

But returning to _Aristotle_, I say, that the breadth of Figure hath nothing to do in this business more or less, because the said Plate of Lead, or other Matter, cut into long Slices, swim neither more nor less[95]; and the same shall the Slices do, being cut anew into little pieces, because its not the breadth but the thickness that operates in this business. I say farther, that in case it were really true, that the Renitence to Division were the proper Cause of swimming[96], the Figures more narrow and short, would much better swim than the more s.p.a.cious and broad, so that augmenting the breadth of the Figure, the facility of supernatation will be deminished, and decreasing, that this will encrease.

[95] Thickness not breadth of Figure to be respected in Natation.

[96] Were Renitence the cause of Natation, breadth of Figure would hinder the swiming of Bodies.

And for declaration of what I say, consider that when a thin Plate of Lead descends, dividing the water, the Division and discontinuation is made between the parts of the water, invironing the perimeter or Circ.u.mference of the said Plate, and according to the bigness greater or lesser of that circuit, it hath to divide a greater or lesser quant.i.ty of water, so that if the circuit, suppose of a Board, be ten Feet in sinking it flatways, it is to make the seperation and division, and to so speak, an incission upon ten Feet of water; and likewise a lesser Board that is four Feet in Perimeter, must make an incession of four Feet. This granted, he that hath any knowledge in Geometry, will comprehend, not only that a Board sawed in many long thin pieces, will much better float than when it was entire, but that all Figures, the more short and narrow they be, shall so much the better swim. Let the Board A B C D be, for Example, eight Palmes long, and five broad, its circuit shall be twenty six Palmes; and so many must the incession be, which it shall make in the water to descend therein: but if we do saw ir, as suppose into eight little pieces, according to the Lines E F, G H, {&}c. making seven Segments, we must adde to the twenty six Palmes of the circuit of the whole Board, seventy others; whereupon the eight little pieces so cut and seperated, have to cut ninty six Palmes of water. And, if moreover, we cut each of the said pieces into five parts, reducing them into Squares, to the circuit of ninty six Palmes, with four cuts of eight Palmes apiece; we shall adde also sixty four Palmes, whereupon the said Squares to descend in the water, must divide one hundred and sixty Palmes of water, but the Resistance is much greater than that of twenty six; therefore to the lesser Superficies, we shall reduce them, so much the more easily will they float: and the same will happen in all other Figures, whose Superficies are simular amongst themselves, but different in bigness: because the said Superficies, being either deminished or encreased, always diminish or encrease their Perimeters in subduple proportion; to wit, the Resistance that they find in penetrating the water; therefore the little pieces gradually swim, with more and more facility as their breadth is lessened.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

_This is manifest; for keeping still the same height of the Solid, with the same proportion as the Base encreaseth or deminisheth, doth the said Solid also encrease or diminish; whereupon the Solid more diminis.h.i.+ng than the Circuit, the Cause of Submersion more diminisheth than the Cause of Natation: And on the contrary, the Solid more encreasing than the Circuit, the Cause of Submersion encreaseth more, that of Natation less._

And this may all be deduced out of the Doctrine of _Aristotle_ against his own Doctrine.

Lastly, to that which we read in the latter part of the Text[97], that is to say, that we must compare the Gravity of the Moveable with the Resistance of the Medium against Division, because if the force of the Gravity exceed the Resistance of the _Medium_, the Moveable will descend, if not it will float. I need not make any other answer, but that which hath been already delivered; namely, that its not the Resistance of absolute Division, (which neither is in Water nor Air) but the Gravity of the _Medium_ that must be compared with the Gravity of the Moveables; and if that of the _Medium_ be greater, the Moveable shall not descend, nor so much as make a totall Submersion, but a partiall only; because in the place which it would occupy in the water, there must not remain a Body that weighs less than a like quant.i.ty of water: but if the Moveable be more grave, it shall descend to the bottom, and possess a place where it is more conformable for it to remain, than another Body that is less grave. And this is the only true proper and absolute Cause of Natation and Submersion, so that nothing else hath part therein: and the Board of the Adversaries swimmeth, when it is conjoyned with as much Air, as, together with it, doth form a Body less grave than so much water as would fill the place that the said Compound occupyes in the water; but when they shall demit the simple Ebony into the water, according to the Tenour of our Question, it shall alwayes go to the bottom, though it were as thin as a Paper.

[97] Lib. 4. c. 6. Text 45.

[Decoration]

FINISH.