108 OUTLINES OF NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. 



difficult to adjust the reckoning of both, when it 

 is to be done in whole numbers. 



107. If the revolution of the sun consisted of 

 an entire number of days, for instance 365, the 

 year would naturally be made to do the same, 

 and there would be no difficulty in the forma- 

 tion of the Kalendar, or in adjusting the reckon- 

 ing in years and in days to one another. 



All the years would then be precisely of the same 

 number of days, and would all begin and end with 

 the sun in the same point of the ecliptic. If the 

 time of the sun's revolution includes a fraction of 

 a day, the case is different ; a year, and a revolu- 

 tion of the sun, cannot then be precisely of the 

 same duration. 



108. As it would be inconvenient to begin 

 the year at any point of time, but the begin- 

 ning of a day, a year must consist of an entire 

 number of days. If, therefore, the revolution 

 of the sun include a fraction of a day, for ex- 

 ample one-fourth, then one year cannot be made 

 equal to one revolution of the sun ; but four 

 years may be made equal to four revolutions of 

 the sun. 





Suppose 





