CONTENTS. 



*** The matter within brackets [ ] has been supplied by the Editor. 



PART THE FIRST. MECHANICS. 



LECTURE I. 

 INTRODUCTION, page 1. 



Objects of the Royal Institution; Dissemination of elementary knowledge, I. 

 Education of females ; Theory of practical mechanics, and of manufactures, 2. 

 Simplicity of useful theory, 3. Difficulty of making improvements ; Repository 

 of the Institution ; Library ; Journals ; Nature of the lectures, 4. Merits of 

 English philosophers, 5. Delivery of the lectures ; General view, 6. Division 

 of the lectures ; Synthetical method, 7... 11. Causation, 11. Induction; Erroneous 

 inductions; Newtonian rules of philosophizing, 12. Their insufficiency, 13. 



LECTURE II. 

 ON MOTION, 13. 



Definition of motion, 13. Absolute and relative motion ; All motion relative, 

 14. Quiescent space ; Direction of motion ; Laws of motion, 15. Time, 16, 

 17. Composition of motion; Space in motion; Result of two motions, 18. 

 Resolution of motion ; General result of a number of motions, 19. 



LECTURE III. 



ON ACCELERATING FORCES, 21. 

 Definition offeree ; Action of force, 21. Acceleration and retardation ; Velocity 



22. Uniform force; Gravitation; Laws of falling bodies; Atwood's machine, 



23. Space described ; Law of Galileo; General law of velocities, 24. Ascent; 

 Velocity due to a height, 25. 



LECTURE IV. 

 ON DEFLECTIVE FORCES, 26. 



Centrifugal force ; Sling ; Motion of a hoop, 26. Whirling table ; Laws of 

 central forces, 27; Keplerian laws, 28. Ellipsis; Projectiles, 29. Resolution 

 of oblique motion ; Horizontal range ; Best elevation, 30. Parabolic path ; Prac- 

 tice of gunnery ; Experiments of Robins, 31, 32. 



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