RES 



R E S 



Jltghlefl impulfe of the fmalleft ; but then it can be moved 

 only in proportion to the force of the impulfe, and this is 

 what is chiefly meant by the refinance of matter : e. gr. a 

 body at rell will rejijl another which is moving towards it ; 

 that is, it will be an objlrudion to the motion of this other ; 

 the latter will be retarded by the former, and will lofejull 

 as much motion as it communicates. In other words ; the 

 reiillance of matter is that in its nature which makes it re- 

 quire an adequate foreign caufe of every change of Hate, or 

 from whence it is wholly pa/Jive, and incapable of receiving 

 any motion from impulfe, that is not in a certain fixed pro- 

 portion to the relative momentum of the impelling body, and 

 ilriclly equal to the change of Hate it fuffers in confequence 

 of the impulfe. In this proportion matter is always moved 

 without difficulty ; but beyond this there is not only a diffi- 

 culty, but an impojjibility of moving it ; and whatever motion 

 it can be fuppofed to receive from any impulfe that is greater 

 than that which the impelling body lofes, it muit derive from 

 nothing at all. The activity which is denied to matter, is a 

 power of changing its own ilate, not that of atling upon 

 other matter by impulfe. This fort of a&ivity, or power, 

 follows from, and is neceffarily implied in its perfect paf- 

 livenefs or inertia. See Price's Diftertations, p. 35, note. 



JVoh-Resistance, in Politics. See Passive Obedience. 



RESITU, in Geography, a town of Naples, in the pro- 

 vince of Capitanata ; 16 miles N.N. W. of Vieile. 



RESLEU, a river which rifes in Bavaria, and runs into 

 the Egra, in Bohemia. 



RESOLIF, a town of Scotland, in the county of Cro- 

 marty ; 7 miles W. of Cromarty. 



RESOLVENTS, Resolventia, in the Materia Medica, 

 remedies proper to refolve and diffipate tumours and gather- 

 ings, to foften indurations, and, by their tenuity and 

 warmth, evacuate redundant or peccant humours through 

 the pores. 



Under this clafs.come various unguents, emplaiters, &c. 



RESOLUTION, Resolutio, or Solutio, in Phyfics, the 

 reduction of a body into its original or natural (late, by a 

 diflolution or the feparation of its aggregated parts. 



Thus fnow and ice are faid to be refolved into water ; and 

 a compound is refolved into its ingredients, &c. : water re- 

 folves into vapour by heat ; and vapour is again refolved 

 into water by cold. 



Some of the moderm philofophers, particularly Mr. Boyle, 

 M. Mariottc, Boerhaave, &c. maintain that the natural 

 (late of water is to be congealed, or in ice ; inafmuch as a 

 • ertain degree of heat, which is a foreign and violent agent, 

 is required to make it fluid: fo that near the pole, where 

 this foreign force is wanting, it conflantly retains its fixed 

 or icy ftate. On this principle, the refolution of ice into 

 water mult be allowed an improper expreffion. 



Resolution, in Chemiflry, is the reduction of a mafs, or 

 mixed body, into its component parts, or lirll principles, by 

 proper analyfis. 



The refolution of bodies is performed varioufly ; by dif- 

 tillation, fublimation, diflolution, fermentation, &c. See 

 each operation under its proper article. See alfo Dissolu- 

 tion and Solution. 



RESOLUTION, in Ethics, is that paflion which encounters 

 difficulties and dangers ; but when it has to do more pe- 

 culiarly with dangers, it is called boldnefs. Defire, joy, 

 and lorrow, enter into its conllitution ; but joy is much the 

 principal ingredient. When refolution degenerates into a 

 concern to maintain our miitakes, humours, or vices, it is 

 more properly denominated obltinacy. Sec Passions. 



Resolution, in Logic, is a branch of method, called 

 alio analyfis. 



The bufinefs of refolution is to invefligate or examine 

 the truth or falfehood of a propoiition, by afcending from 

 fome particular known truth, as a principle, by a chain of 

 confequences, to another more general one in queflion. 

 Refolution, or the analytic method, Hands in diredl oppo- 

 fition to compofttion, or the fynthetic method ; in which lafl 

 we defcend from fome general known truths to a particular 

 one in queflion. 



For an initance of the method of refolution ; fuppofe the 

 queflion this : Whether, on the fuppofition of man's exig- 

 ence, we can prove that God exifts ? 



To refolve this, our method is thus : Mankind did not 

 always exill. It is evident, from a thoufand confiderations, 

 the fpecies had a beginning ; and that, according to all 

 hiilory, not fix thoufand years ago ; but if it had a begin- 

 ning, there mull be fome caufe of its beginning ; fomethin"- 

 to induce it to exiil then more than it did before ; in effeft, 

 there mull be a caufe or author of its exiftence ; for from 

 nothing, nothing arifes : this caufe, whatever it is, mull, at 

 leail, have all the faculties we find in ourfelves ; for none 

 can give more than he has : nay, he mull have others, which 

 we have not, fince he could do what we cannot do, ;'. e. cre- 

 ate, make man exill, &c. Now, this caufe either exilts Hill, 

 or has ceafed to do fo : if the former, he did not exill from 

 eternity ; for what is from eternity is necelfary, and can 

 neither by itfelf, nor any other caufe, be reduced to nothing : 

 if the latter, it mull have been produced from fome other ; 

 and then the fame queflion will return upon the producer. 

 There is then fome firft caufe, and this caufe has all the pro- 

 perties and faculties we have ; nay more, has exifled from 

 eternity, &c. Therefore, from the fuppofition of man's 

 exillence, it follows that there is a God. 



Resolution, or Solution, in Mathematics, is an orderly 

 enumeration of feveral things to be done, to obtain what is 

 required in a problem. 



Wolfius makes a problem to confill of three parts. The 

 propofition (which ii what we properly call the problem), the 

 refolution, and the demonjl ration. 



The general tenor of all problems is, thofe things being 

 done which are injoined by the refolution, the thing is done 

 which was to be done. 



As foon as a problem is demonllrated, it is converted into 

 a theorem ; of which the refolution is the hypothefis ; and 

 the propoiition the thefis. 



The procefs of a mathematical refolution, fee in the fol- 

 lowing article. 



Resolution, in /llgehra, or algebraical, is of two kinds ; 

 the one pra&ifed in numerical problems, the other in geo- 

 metrical ones. 



Resolution of Equations, is the determination of the 

 values of the unknown letters or quantities of which it is 

 compofed ; in order to which it is neccilary, firit, to exter- 

 minate or eliminate all the unknown quantities but one out 

 of the equation, and then the value of the remaining quantity 

 is to be found by the proper rules for this purpofe, viz.. by 

 the rules given for ftmplc, quadratic, cubic, or biquadratic 

 equations, according to which of thele it may belong ; or, by 

 the general method of approximation, for which lee the re- 

 fpeftive articles. But as all thefe cafes have reference only 

 to one unknown quantity, it will not be aniifs, in this place, 

 to explain lome of thole methods which are moll com- 

 monly employed for reducing equations to one unknown. 



Firft, it may be obfcrvi d, thai 111 any determinate problem 

 there are always as many equations independent of each 

 other, as there are unknown quantities ; if there are not fo 

 many, the qucHion li indeterminate, and if there be more, it is 

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