172 The Force of Fired Gunpowder. 



If the heat be only that indicated by 3996 F. (which 

 is many degrees below that at which either copper, silver, 

 or gold melts), that heat will be sufficient to double the 

 expansive force last found ( 1000 atmospheres) seven 

 fimes, which will make it equal to the pressure of one 

 hundred and twenty-eight thousand atmospheres; a degree 

 of elastic force considerably more than sufficient to ac- 

 count for the results of all the experiments mentioned 

 in this paper. 



