80 NOTES ON THE 



FIG. 22. 



141. When a mass of matter has a motion of 

 translation in space, and draws after it another mass 

 that contains less matter than itself, will the mass 

 which is dragged move with a greater velocity than 

 the mass which drags it ? In what circumstances 

 will the momentum of the first body be communi- 

 cated to the second, and, therefore, the velocity of 

 the second body will be greater than that of the 

 first ? 



142. If the sun, the mass of which is 354,936 

 times greater than that of the Earth, has a motion 

 of translation in space, and draws after it the whole 

 of the planetary bodies, will the velocities of the 

 planets be greater than that of the sun ? 



143. If so, is it this tractile force which the sun in 

 his course imparts to the planetary bodies, that gives 

 motion to those bodies, and not the primal projectile 



