STA 
odour and consistence. Starch is insoluble 
in alcohol, but is soluble in the alkalies ; in 
pure potash it swells up, becomes transpa- 
rent and gelatinous, and is then susceptible 
of solution in alcohol. The component 
parts of starch, as appears by distilling it, 
and by the action of re-agents, are oxygen, 
hydrogen, and carbon. Starch exists in a 
great number of vegetable substances, but 
chiefly in the roots and seeds, and particu- 
larly those which are employed as food. 
Starch, it is well known, may be obtained 
from the potatoe. If the potatoe be grated 
down, and washed with water till it comes 
off pure and colourless ; this water, being 
left at rest, deposits a fine white powder, 
which assumes something of a crystallized 
appearance, and is heavier than wheat 
starch. It is generally mixed or combined 
with other principles, and sometimes so in- 
timately as not easily to be separated. It 
is not completely formed, except in certain 
«tates of vegetation. In nutritive grains it 
is perfect only when they have attained 
maturity, before this it is in a state ap- 
proaching to mucilage, mixed with saccha- 
rine matter. 
STARLING. SeeSTURNUs. 
STATICE, in botany, thrift, a genus of 
the Pentandria Pentagynia class and order. 
Natural order of Aggregata*. Pliimba- 
gines, Jussieu. Essential character; calyx 
one-petalled, entire, plaited, seariose ; pe- 
tals five ; seed one, superior. There are 
tliirty-nine species. 
STATICS, a term which the modern im- 
provements in knowledge have made it ne- 
cessary to introduce into physico- mathema- 
tical science. It was found convenient to 
distribute the doctrines of universal mecha- 
nics into two classes, which required both a 
different mode of consideration, and diffe- 
rent principles of reasoning. We are in- 
delUed to Archimedes for tiie fundamental 
principles of this science. He investigated 
the doctrine of the centre of gravity, and 
the theory of the Igver. Hut the snlqect of 
moving forces was not properly understood 
till Galileo considered it very accurately in 
his work on “Local Motion.” In this, he 
considers a change of motion, as the exact 
and adequate measure of a moving force ; 
and he considers every kind of pressure 
as competent to the production of such 
changes. He applied this principle to the 
inotiofl of bodies by the action of gravity, 
and gave the tiieory of projetdiles. Sir 
Isaac Newdon took up the subject nearly 
a:S Galileo had left it, and applied the doc- 
STA 
trines, which had been previously called in 
aid of mechanics only, to explain the celes- 
tial motions ; and the magnificence of this 
subject caused it to occupy tlie whole atten- 
tion of mathematicians. The “Principia” 
contained, indeed, propositions equally con- 
ducive to the improvement of common me- 
chanics, and to the complete understanding 
of the, mechanical actions of bodies. Pfii- 
losophers began to make their applications. 
They saw that every kind of work tliat is 
performed by a machine, may be consider- 
ed abstractedly as a retarding force ; tliat 
the impulse of water, or wind, which are 
employed as moving powers, act by means 
of pressures which they exert on the im- 
pelled point of the machine; and, that the 
machine itself ntay be considered as an 
assemblage of bodies, moveable in certain 
limited circumstances, with determined di- 
rections and proportions of velocity. From 
these considerations resulted a general sfb- 
stract condition of a body acted upon by- 
known powers : at length was determined 
a new kind of equilibrium, not thought of 
by ancient mechanicians, between tlie re- 
sistance to the machine performing work, 
and the moving pow'cr, which exactly ba- 
lance each other; aud is indicated not by 
the rest, but by the uniform motion of the 
machine. Hence also the mathematician 
was enabled to calculate the precise motion 
of water which would completely absorb, 
or balance, the superiority of pressure by 
which water is forced through a sluice, pipe, 
&c. with a constant velocity. 
Thus the general doctrines of motion 
came to be considered in two points of 
view, according as they balanced each 
other in a state of rest, or of uniform mo- 
tion. These two ways of considering the 
same subject, required botli different prin- 
ciples and a different manner of reasoning. 
The first has been named statics, as ex- 
pressing that rest which is the test of this 
kind of equilibrium. The second has been 
called dynamics, or universal mechanics, 
because the different kinds of motion are 
characteristic of the powers or forces which 
produce them. A knowledge of both is in- 
dispensably necessary for acquiring any use- 
ful, practical knowledge of njachines : and 
it was ignorance of the doctrines of accele- 
rated and retarded motions, which made 
the progress of practical mechaDical know'- 
ledge so very slow and imperfect. The me- 
chanics, even of the moderns, before Gali- 
leo, went no further than to state the pro- 
portion of the power and resistance which 
