[ "3 ] 
a very Ample one, and depends on a poftulatum that, 
I believe, will be readily granted. 
If a force be uniformly diffufed over a right line, 
that is, if an equal part of the force ads upon every 
point of the line, and if the whole force ads accord- 
ing to one and the fame plane ; this force will be fuf- 
tained, and the line kept in asquilibrio, by a Angle force 
applied to the middle point of the line equal to 
the diffufed force, and ading in a contrary direc- 
tion. 
In order to fhorten the following proof, I muft pre- 
mise by way of Lemma, that, if a right line be 
divided into two fegments, the diftances between the 
middle of the whole line, and the middle points of 
the fegments, will be inverfely as the fegments. This 
is felf evident when the fegments are equal ; and, 
when they are unequal, then, Ance half of the whole 
line is equal to half of the greater and half of the leffer 
fegment, it is plain that the dilfance between the mid- 
dle of the whole line and the middle of one fegment 
muft be equal to half of the other fegment, fo that 
thefe diftances muft be to each other inverfely as the 
fegments, all which appears evident from the infpec- 
tion of Tab. VI. Fig. 2. 
Let now the line G H, whofe middle point is D, * 
be divided into the unequal fegments G L, and L H, 
whofe middle points are C and F, and let two forces 
or weights, A and B, which are to each other as the 
fegments G L and L H, be applied to their middle 
points C and F, and let them a£t perpendicularly on 
the line G H. Then (by the Lemma) the weights 
A and B will be to each other inverfely as C D, and 
F D, (the diftances of the points C and F, to which 
Vol. LIII. R they 
