|Chapter 1||The Earth|
The natural earth
The center of gravity of the earth
December 28, 1846
1. When you study a body, whatever shape it might have, with a scrutinizing mind and eye, you will easily and quickly notice that three features can be observed, namely first its visual outer shape, i.e. its form with all its natural attributes, for example its circumference, its surface extending to all sides and the coloring of this surface; secondly, you will essentially perceive a certain volume that has some diameter in its length, width, and height; and this volume of the body shows, according to its nature, some weight or gravity notably toward a certain direction.
2. For example, when you study the shape of any stone or, as well, of any regularly or irregularly shaped clump, you will soon find that its center of gravity is not located equally in all parts of it. In particular, you may learn this most easily from a bulky wooden stake if you put it on the water and it will always dip its center of gravity deepest into the water. Thus this is the second point which everybody can easily find in every object.
|Chapter 1||Mobile view About us|