CONTENTS. 



PART THE FIRST. MECHANICS. 



Lecture i. Introduction ; Page 1. 



Objects of the Uoyal Institution; 1. Dissemina- 

 tion of eleraentary knowledge ; 2. Education of fe- 

 males ; Theory of practical mechanics, and of manu- 

 factures; 3. Simplicity of useful theory; 4. Diffi- 

 culty of making improvements; Repository of the In- 

 stitution; Library; Journals; 5. Nature of the lec- 

 tures; Merits of En<;lish philosophers; 6. Delivery 

 of the lectures; 7. General view; 8. Division of 

 the lectures; Synthetical metliod; 9.. 14. Induction; 

 Causatiop ; 15. Erroneous inductions ; 10. Newtonian 

 rules of philosophizing; Their insufficiency; 17. 



Lectuhe II. On motion ; 18. 



Definition of motion; 18. Absolute and relative 

 motion ; All motion relative ; 19. Quiescent space ; 

 Direction of motion; 20. Laws of motion; 21. Time; 

 ■ 32. Composition of motion; Space in motion; 23. 

 Result of two motions ; 24. Resolution of motion; 

 25. General result of a number of motions; 2(5. 



Lectuue hi. On accelerating forces; 



2.7. 



Definition of force; 27. Action of force; 38. Ac- 

 celeration and retardation; Velocity; 29. Uniform 

 force; Gravitation; Laws of falling bodits; Atwood's 

 machine; 30. Space described; Law of Galileo; 

 31. General law of velocities; Ascent; Velocity due 

 to a height; 32. 



Lecture iv. On deflective forces; 

 33. 



Centrifugal force; Sling; S.*?. Motion of a hoop; 

 Whirling table; 34. Laws of central forces; 35. 

 Keplerian laws; 36. Ellipsis; Projectiles; 37. Re- 

 solution of oblique motion; 38. Horizontal range; 

 Best elevation ; Parabolic path ; 39. Practice of gui> 

 Hery; Experiments of Robins; 40,41. 

 3 



Lecture v. On confined motion; 



42. 



Motion limited by suspension, or by a smooth sur-- 

 face; Effect of friction and of rotatory motion; In- 

 clined plane; 42. Descent in the chords of a circle ;. 

 Velocity of descent; 43. Ascending force; Energy; 

 Cycloidal pendulum; 44. Laws of pendulums; 45. 

 Swiftest descent; Circular pendulums, 40. Pendu- 

 lums with resistance; Revolving pendulums ; Corapo-- 

 sition of vibrations; Regulator for steam engines; 47» 

 Circular road; Principle of the least action; 48,49. 



Lecture vi. On the motions of sim- 

 ple masses ; 60. 



Definition of a moveable body, without regard to its- 

 extension; 50. Inertia; Centre of inertia; Its pro- 

 perties; 51. Reciprocal forces; Quantity of motion;. 

 52. Momentum ; Centre of inertia of a system ; 53. 

 Motion of the centre of inertia ; 54. Action and re- 

 action; Newton's illustrations; 55. Magnitude of re- 

 ciprocal forces; 50. Fall of a feather and of a piece 

 of gold; Lucretius; Relation between forces and dis- 

 tances; 57. Displacement of the earth by the effect 

 of a machine; 58. 



Lecture vii. On pressure and equi- 

 librium ; 59. 



Pressure, a force couuteraoted ; Pressure and mo- 

 mentum incommensurable ; 59. Laws of pressure in- 

 cluded in those of motion; Opposition of pressures; 

 60. Equilibrium of meckanical po.wers ; Centre of 

 gravity; 61. Stability of equilibrium; 62. Stabihty 

 independent of equilibrium ; 63. Situation and mo- 

 tions of tlie centre of gravity of animals; 64. Levers 

 of two kinds; Fundamental property of the lever; 65.. 

 Series of levers ; Bent levers ; Oblique levers ; 66, 

 ^Ylle€l and axis; Wheels and pinion* ; Double axis; 



