280 M. Segu'm on the Effects of Heat and Motion. 



and in seeking to arrange, under laws already known, a seric- 

 of facts, which, in the present state of science, are, in my opi- 

 nion, very imperfectly explained. 



The striking relations which exist hetween the production 

 of force and the use of caloric, are well worthy of the notice of 

 philosophers, for the admitted theory actually leads to the 

 creation of force, as to the doctrine of a mechanical perpetual 

 motion, which it is impossible to admit. If we suppose, in- 

 deed, that at each stroke of the piston of a high-pressure 

 steam-engine, the quantity of caloric employed is represented 

 exactly by the elevation of temperature of the water of con- 

 densation, abstracting all loss, it follows, that we have lost 

 nothing Hi obtaining a very great effect, and that, if it were 

 possible (which is supposable) to condense the caloric con- 

 tained in a mass M, into another represented by — , in such a 

 manner that it may be reduced into vapour at the primitive 

 pressure, we may, by means of a small quantity of caloric, 

 produce an indefinite number of oscillations. 



If, instead of considering the pressure exerted on a piston, 

 or suppose the vapour condensing in a cylinder, the reasoning 

 will be the same, and the two cases will present in the dilata- 

 tion of the aeriform fluid, a loss of temperature, which we 

 may consider as the true employment of the caloric. The 

 consideration of the proper motion of bodies given, is simple, 

 and, in my opinion, a satisfactory explanation of these phe- 

 nomena. For, if we suppose that the molecules of water are 

 subject to a circular motion, and that the velocity the caloric 

 of bodies, or rather is caloric itself, then it is evident, that the 

 mass will augment with the acceleration of the velocity, til! it 

 reaches an epoch, at which the motion will be so great, that 

 the attraction which retains the molecules at a distance from 

 one another, is insufficient to maintain the equilibrium. The 

 molecules will then begin gradually escaping in all directions 

 in a right line in the direction of the tangent, and will com- 

 municate it to other bodies which they meet, till they have 

 lost as much as will prevent the two faces again to come into 



