POS 



POS 



must pay 20/. and C 401. the total of 

 which isTW. but should be 140/. There- 

 fore, if 701. should be 140/. what should 

 101. be ? 



Answer, 20/. for A's share, which dou- 

 bled makes 401. for B's share, and that 

 again doubled gives 80Z. for C's share, 

 the total of which is 14W. Double posi- 

 tion is when there can be no partition in 

 the numbers to make a proportion. In 

 this case, therefore, you must make a 

 supposition twice, proceeding therein 

 according to the tenor of the question. 

 If neither of the supposed numbers solve 

 the proportion, observe the errors, and 

 whether they be greater or less than 

 the supposition requires, and mark the 

 errors accordingly with the sign -f- and . 



Then multiply contrarywise the one 

 position by the other error, and if the 

 erroi-s be both too great, or both too lit- 

 tle, subtract the one product from the 

 other, and divide the difference of the 

 inducts by the difference of the errors. 

 If the errors be unlike, as the one -}- and 

 the other , add the products, and di- 

 vide the sum thereof by the sum of the 

 errors added together: for the propor- 

 tion of the errors is the same with the 

 proportion of the excesses or defects of 

 the numbers supposed to be the numbers 

 sought : or, the suppositions and their 

 errors being placed as before, work by 

 this proportion as a general rule, viz. as 

 the difference of the errors, if alike ; or 

 their sum, if unlike, to the difference of 

 the suppositions, so either error to a 

 fourth number, which accordingly, added 

 to or subtracted from the supposition 

 against it, will answer the question. 



POSITION, in geometry, is a term some- 

 times used in contradistinction to magni- 

 tude: thus a line is said to be given in 

 position, positions data, when its situation, 

 bearing, or direction, with regard to some 

 other line, is given : on the contrary, a 

 line is given in magnitude, when its 

 length is given, but not its situation. 



POSITIVE, a term of relation some- 

 times opposed to negative ; hence a posi- 

 tive quantity, in algebra, is a real or 

 affirmative quantity, or a quantity greater 

 than nothing : thus called in opposition 

 to a privative or negative quantity, which 

 is less than nothing, and marked by the 

 sign . Positive quantities are designed 

 by the character -\- prefixed, or supposed 

 to be prefixed to them. 



POSITIVE, in music, denotes the little 

 organ usually placed behind or at the feet 

 of an organist, played with- the same 

 wind, and the same bellows, and consist- 



ing of the same number of pipes with the 

 larger one, though those much smaller, 

 and in a certain proportion : this is pro- 

 perly the choir-organ. 



POSITIVE degree, in grammar, is the ad- 

 jective in its simple signification, without 

 any comparison ; or it is that termination 

 of the adjective which expresses itself 

 simply, and absolutely, without compar- 

 ing it with any other. 



POSITIVE electricity. According to the 

 Franklinian system, all bodies are sup- 

 posed to contain a certain quantity of 

 electricity : and those, that by any means, 

 are made to contain more or less than 

 their natural quantity, are said to be po- 

 sitively or negatively electrified. These 

 electricities being first produced by the 

 friction of glass and resin, were called by 

 some philosophers vitreous and resinous ; 

 the former answering to the positive OP 

 plus electricity ; the latter to the nega- 

 tive or minus electricity. 



POSSE coimtatus. The power of the 

 county, is the attendance of all knights 

 and others, above fifteen years of age, to 

 assist the sheriff in quelling riots, &c. 



POSSESSION is two-fold ; actual, and 

 in law : actual possession is, when a man 

 actually etiters into lands and tenements 

 to him descended ; possession in law is, 

 when the lands or tenements are de- 

 scended to a man, and he has not as yet 

 actually entered into them. 



POSSESSIVE, in grammar, a term ap- 

 plied to pronouns which denote the en- 

 joyment or possession of any thing, either 

 in particular or in common : as meus, 

 mine, and tuus, thine ; noster, ours, and 

 vester, yours. 



POST, a word synonymous with cou- 

 rier, which is supposed to be originally 

 derived from horses for the conveyance 

 of dispatches, being positi, or placed at 

 convenient distances, as relays or changes 

 for those fatigued, and unable to proceed 

 the whole journey with the desired 

 speed. Hence it has become the prac- 

 tice to term horses employed for this and 

 similar purposes, post-horses ; their ri- 

 ders, post-boys: the houses for the re- 

 ception of letters thus conveyed, post- 

 offices ; and even the drivers of chaises, 

 postilions ; and their vehicles, post- 

 chaises ; it is natural, besides, to say, he 

 who continues a journey on fresh horses, 

 without stopping for more than neces- 

 sary refreshment, rides post. The spaces 

 between certain inns, for the reception 

 of travellers in England, forming a post, 

 varies from twelve to fifteen miles, beyond 

 which it is deemed imprudent to urge * 



