Experiments to determine the Density of the Earth. In: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, vol. 88, Part II, for the year 1798, pp. 469-526, 2 folding engraved plates.

CAVENDISH, Henry

Published by Peter Elmsly, London, 1798

About this Item

4to (292 x 235 mm). Entire volume (part II) offered: v [1], [1] 202-598, [8] pp., 17 folding engraved plates, folding table. All pages uncut and mostly unopened. Original blue wrappers (paper dust-soiled, paper over spine mostly gone, edges slightly frayed). Text and plates with light even browning, some dust-soiling to outer margins, p. 495/6 creased at lower corner. Provenance: Benjamin Hyett Esq. A very good, completely unsophisticated copy. ---- Norman 422, DSB III, p.158. - First Edition of Cavendish's account of the celebrated experiment in which he determined the density of the earth on the basis of the gravitational attraction between the movable and stationary lead balls in John Michell's torsion balance, and attained the first laboratory measurement of "G," the Newtonian constant of gravitation. "By weighing the world he rendered the law of gravitation complete. The law was no longer a proportionality statement but a quantitatively exact one; this was the most important addition to the science of gravitation since Newton" (DSB III,p.158). "Cavendish was the first to observe gravitational motions induced by comparatively minuted portions of ordinary matter. The attractions that he measured were unprecedentedly small, being only 1/500,000,000 times as great as the weight of the bodies. By weighing the world he rendered the law of gravitation complete. The law was no longer a proportionality statement but a quantitatively exact one; THIS WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT ADDITION TO THE SCIENCE OF GRAVITATION SINCE NEWTON" (DSB emphasis added). Also in this volume: PREVOST, Quelques Remarques d'Optique, principalement, pp. 311-331, 1 plate. - Visit our website to see more images!

Seller Inventory # 003562

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Experiments to determine the Density of the Earth. In: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, vol. 88, Part II, for the year 1798, pp. 469-526, 2 folding engraved plates.
• Publisher: Peter Elmsly, London
• Publication Date: 1798
• Binding: Soft cover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Very Good
• Seller catalogs:
  • Norman Library
  • Physics