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KANSAS CITY REVIEW OF SCIENCE. 



is able to cause among other suns so distant that their light requires centuries to 

 traverse the mighty wastes between. We present this table of distances and ve- 

 locities. Column I gives distances from the Sun's centre in trillions of miles, II, 

 orbital velocities in miles per second of bodies in revolution around the Sun where 

 centrifugal tendency equals gravity; III, same in miles per hour; IV, falling ve- 

 locities acquired by bodies that fall from infinite distance, on arrival at orbits of 

 revolving bodies ; V same in miles per hour : 



I. 



II. 



in. 



IV. 



V. 



This table was calculated by employing G once to find falling velocity at five 

 trillion miles as indicated in formula. This was all that was required for having 

 falling velocity at a given distance, orbital velocity was obtained directly by 

 dividing by i. 4142 73. Both velocities being known, the whole table may be 

 made in a short time by simple division, or by proportion or by interpolating. 



Thus: orbital at five, is the same as falling velocity at ten trillion miles, and 

 so on. This must be true since velocity at a distance divided by the square root 

 of 2 equals velocity at twice the distance, a result that obtains because gravity 

 varies inversely as the square of distance. But one cannot fail being impressed 

 with the majesty of the Sun, or his mighty power of attraction. 



We see that a body distant twenty trillion miles must move with a velocity of 

 .039 miles per second or 140 miles per hour in direction at right angles to radius 

 vector, or it is falling toward the Sun. But twenty trillion miles is the distance of 

 Alpha Centauri, the nearest star. Ignoring the mass of Alpha Centauri let us 

 call it a material point, then it has this velocity which is at a minimum, and its 

 path is curved this way. This follows unless indeed, there is on the other side 



