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NEW THEORIES IN ASTRONOMY
BY
WILLIAM STIRLING
CIVIL ENGINEER
[Illustration]
London:
E. & F. N. SPON, LIMITED, 57 HAYMARKET
New York:
SPON & CHAMBERLAIN, 123 LIBERTY STREET
1906
TO THE READER.
Mr. William Stirling, Civil Engineer, who devoted the last years of his
life to writing this work, was born in Kilmarnock, Scotland, his father
being the Rev. Robert Stirling, D.D., of that city, and his brothers,
the late Mr. Patrick Stirling and Mr. James Stirling, the well known
engineers and designers of Locomotive Engines for the Great Northern
and South Eastern Railways respectively.
After completing his studies in Scotland he settled in South America,
and was engaged as manager and constructing engineer in important
railway enterprises on the west coast, besides other concerns both in
Peru and Chile; his last work being the designing and construction
of the railway from the port of Tocopilla on the Pacific Ocean to
the Nitrate Fields of Toco in the interior, the property of the
Anglo-Chilian and Nitrate Railway Company.
He died in Lima, Peru, on the 7th October, 1900, much esteemed and
respected, leaving the MS. of the present work behind him, which is now
published as a tribute to his memory, and wish to put before those who
are interested in the Science of Astronomy his theories to which he
devoted so much thought.
CONTENTS.
PAGE
INTRODUCTION. 1
CHAPTER I.
The bases of modern astronomy. Their late formation 18
Instruments and measures used by ancient astronomers 19
Weights and measures sought out by modern astronomers 20
Means employed to discover the density of the earth.
Measuring by means of plummets not sufficiently exact 20
Measurements with torsion and chemical balances more accurate 21
Sir George B. Airy's theory,
and experiments at the Harton colliery 22
Results of experiments not reliable.
Theory contrary to the Law of Attraction 23
Proof by arithmetical calculation of its error 24
Difficulties in comparing beats of pendulums at top
and bottom of a mine 26
The theory upheld by text-books without proper examination 27
Of a particle of matter within the shell of a hollow sphere.
Not exempt from the law of Attraction 28
A particle so situated confronted with the law of the
inverse square ofdistance from an attracting body.
Remarks thereon 29
It is not true that the attraction of a spherical shell
is "zero" for a particle of matter within it 31