382 The Laws of Statical Equilibrium. 
out and demonstrated in the course of the 
present essay, and then have recourse to an 
analytical process, in the perusal of which 
the reader loses all sight of the idea of force 
and has his mind totally engaged with alge- 
braic symbols. I shall on the contrary en- 
deavour, in the following train of reasoning, 
to keep the idea of force in view as much as 
possible ; for which purpose, the geometrical 
analysis will be used, in preference to alge- 
bra; because the diagrams of the former 
method, constantly recall the attention of 
the reader to the elementary principles of 
his subject. . 
Article 1.—DrErF. The term statical equili- 
brium is used by certain modern writers on 
mechanics, to denote an opposition of forces, 
which does not produce motion. 
Art. 2.—Axiom. Ifa number of causes act 
in conjunction, their joint effect differs from 
the effect which would be produced by any, 
one of the number acting separately. Should 
this be objected to as an axiom, we may ob- 
serve that the contrary proposition supposes 
causes to act without effects, consequently. 
such are no causes at all. 
Art. 3.—Axtom. Every force acts in a 
right line, which line is called its direction. . 
Art, A—Axtom. Equal forces acting. in 
