Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 2.djvu/1016

 W E I

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W E I

To find the Accomplishment of Daniel's Prophefy of the Meffiab, the Destruction, Rebuilding, (Sc. of the Temple, C. IX. v. 24, He. the Criticks generally agree to under- fland Weeks of Tears, inftead of Weeks of Days. See Pro- phecy, Xear, &c.

'Paffion Week, or the Holy Week, is the laft Week in Lent, wherein the Church celebrates the Myftery of our Sa- viour's Death and Paffion. See Lent, and Passion.

It is fometimes alfo called the great Week.

Its Inflitution is generally refer'd, both by Proteffants and Papifls, to the Times of the Apoftles. — All the Days of that Week were held as Falls : no Work was done on 'em ; no Juftice ditlributed ; but the Prifoners were ordi- narily fet at liberty, Jjfc. even Pleafures otherwife allowed, were now prohibited.

The Ofclllum Charitalis was now forborn ; and divers Mortifications praflis'd by all forts of People, and even the Emperors themfelves.

Week, or Wieck of a Candle, Sic. the Cotton Match in a Candle, or Lamp. See Candle, Lamp, gfc.

WEEPING. See Tears.

WEFT, a kind of Web, or Thing woven ; as a Weft or Trefs of Hair. See Web, Hair, Tress, &c.

WEIF. See Waif.

WEIGH, Wey, Waga, a Weight of Cheefe, Wool, &c.

containing 256 Pounds Averdupois of Corn, the Weigh

contains 40 Bufhels $ of Barley or Malr, fix Quarters. In fome Places, the Weigh of Cheefe is 300 Pounds. See Measure.

■ Et decimani cafei fut de Herting, prater unam pei-

fam qu<e pertinet ad Ecclejiam de A. Mon. Angl. where peifa feems to be ufed for a Weigh.

Coke mentions eighty Weighs of Bay-Salt. See Waga.

WEIGHER, an Officer in divers Cities, appointed to weigh the Commodities bought or fold, in a publick Ba- lance, &c.

Thefe Weighers are generally oblig'd by Oath to do Juf- tice to both Parties ; and to keep a Regifter of the Things they weigh.. — In Amflerdam there are twelve Weighers efta- blifh'd into a kind of Office.

As it was formerly allow'd 'em to touch the Strings of the Balance in weighing, it was eafy for 'em to favour either the Buyer or Seller, according as the one gave 'em more Money than the other. — To prevent which Abufe, it was charg'd on 'em, by an Ordonnance of the Bourguemaifters in 1 7 19, not to touch the Balance in any manner whatever.

WEIGHING, the Afl of examining a Body in the Ba- lance, to find its weight. See Balance, and Weight.

The Diflillers in London weigh their Veffels when full ; and for half a Hog/head, which is 31 Gallons and an half, allow 200 one quarter and n Pounds for the Calk and Li- quor. — For a Puncheon, they allow 600 one quarter and two Pounds : For a Canary Pipe 800 a half and 17 Pounds.

Weighing-CA«>, a Machine contriv'd by SanSorius, to determine the Quantity of Food taken at a Meal 5 and to warn the Feeder when he had eat his Quantum.

That ingenious Author having obferved, with many others, that a great part of our Dilbrdcrs arife from the Excefs in the Quantity of our Foods, more than in the Quality there- of; as alfo how much a fix'd Portion, once well adjufted, would, if kept regularly, contribute to Health ; bethought himfeif of an Expedient to that purpofe. — The Refult was the Weighing-Chair : which was a Chair fix'd at one Arm of a fort of Balance, wherein a Perfon being feated at meat, as foon as he had eat his Allowance, the increafe of Weight made his Seat preponderate : So that defcending to the Ground, he left his Table, Victuals, and all out of reach. See Perspiration.

Weighino of the Air. See Weight of Air.

Weighing Anchor, in the Sea Language, is the drawing up the Anchor out of the Ground it had been call into 5 in order to fet fail, or quit a Port, Road, or the like. See Anchor.

The Anchot is weighed or recover'd, by means of the Cap- Han. See Capstan.

WEIGHT, Gravity, \Pondus, in Phyficks, a Quality in Natutal Bodies, whereby they tend downwatds, towards the Centre of the Earth. See Body, Descent, Earth, &c.

Or, Weight may be defined, in a lefs limited manner, to be a Power inherent in all Bodies, whereby they tend to fome common Point, call'd the Centre of Weight, or Gravity ; and that with a greater or lefs Velocity, as they are more or lefs denfe, or as the Medium they pafs thro' is more or lefs rare. See Centre, Density, i$c.

In the common Ufe of Language, Weight and Gravity are confider'd as one and the fame thing. — Some Authors, however, make a difference between 'em ; and hold Gra- vity only to exprefs a Nifus, or endeavour to defcend ; but Weight an actual Defcent.

But there is room for a better Diftinffion.— In effect, one may conceive Gravity to be the Quality, as inhetent in the Body ; and Weight the fame Quality exerting it felf, either againft an Obftacle, or otherwile. See Quality, £J?c.

Hence Weight tavj be diftinguifh'd, like Gravity, intd Abfolute, and Specific. See Gravity.

Sir I. Newton demonftratcs, that the Weights of all Bo- dies, at equal diflances from the Centre of the Earth, are proportionable to the Quantity of Matter each contains. — • Whence it follows, that the Weights of Bodies have not any dependance on their Forms, or Textutes ; and that all Spaces ate not equally full of Matter. See Vacuum.

Hence alfo it follows, that 'the Weight of the fame Body is different, on the Surface of different Parts of the Eatth ; by reafon its Figure is not a Sphere, but a Spheroid. See Spheroid,

The Law of this Difference, the fame Author gives in the following Theorem. — « The Increafe of Weight, as you ' proceed from the Equator, to the Poles, is, nearly, as the ' to the fame, As the Square of the right Sine of the La- ( titude.
 * Verfed Sine of double the Latitude ; or, which amounts

Therefore, fince the Latitude of 'Paris is 48 50', that of a Place under the Equator oo° 00' ; and that of a Place under the Pole po° Co' 5 and the Verfed Sines of the double Latitudes are 11334,00000 and 20000, the Radius being 10000 ; and the Weight at the Pole is to the Weight at the Equator as 230 to 229 ; and the Excefs of Weight at the Pole to that at the Equator, as 1 to 229 : The Excefs of Gravity in the Latitude of 'Paris, to that under the Equa- tor, will be as 1 x l%- to 229, or 5667 to 2290000; and therefore, the whole Weights in thofe Places, will be to each other as 229>6'6'7 to 2290000.

Hence, alfo, as the Lengths of Pendulums that perform their Vibrations in equal Times, are as their Weights ; and the Length of a Pendulum which in the Latitude of 'Paris vibrates Seconds, is three Paris Feet and eight Lines : The Length of a Pendulum that vibrates Seconds under the E- quator, will be Ihort of a Synchronous Pendulum at 'Paris, by one Line and an 87000th Part of a Line, 'Phil. Nat. 'Prine. Math. Lib. III. p. 382, Jjfc. See Pendulum.

A Body immerg'd in a Fluid fpecifically lighter than it felf, lofes fo much of its Weight, as is equal to the Weight of a Quantity of the Fluid of the fame Bulk with it felf, See Fluid.

Hence, a Body lofes more of its Weight in a heavier than in a lighter Fluid ; and therefore weighs more in a lighter than a heavier Fluid. See Specific Gravity.

To find the Weight of any Quantity of a Fluid, e. g. of the Wine contain'd in a Hogfhead. — Find the Bulk or Quantity of the Liquor by the Rules of Gauging. See Gauging.

Sufpend a cubick Inch of Lead therein by a Horfc-hair j and by a Balance note the Weight loft. — This will be the Weight of a cubic Inch of the Fluid.

Wherefore, fince in a homogeneous Fluid the Weight is proportionable to the Bulk ; the Weight of the Fluid will be tound by the Rule of Three. — Thus, if the Capacity of the Hogfhead be 88 cubic Feet, and the cubic Foot of Wine d*8 Pounds ; the whole Weight of the Wine will be 88 : 58 : t I : 5984.

The Weight of a cubic Foot of Water, has been deter- min'd by feveral ; but as in differenr Springs, ti?c. the Weight of the Water is differenr, and there is even a diffe- rence in the fame Water at differenr times ; 'tis no wonder the Obfervations of the feveral Authors fhould be found ve- ry different. — Sir Sam. Morland, by repeated Experiments, found a cubic Inch of Water to weigh 70 Pounds 2 Ounces, See Water.

Weight, "Pondus, in Mechanicks, is any thing to be rais'd, fuilain'd, or mov'd by a Machine ; or any thing that in any manner refifts the Motion to be produe'd. See Mo- tion, 5«Jc.

In all Machines, there is a natural Ratio between the Weight and the moving Power. — If rhe Weight be increafed, the Power muft be fo too 3 that is, the Wheels, i£c. are to be multiplied, and fo the Time increas'd, or the Velocity diminifh'd. See Power, and Machine.

The Centre of Gravity F, (Tab. Mechanicks, Fig. 55.) of a Body I H, together with the Weighr of a Sody, being given j to determine the 'Point M, in which, lying on an horizontal 'Plane, a given Weight G, hung in L, cannot re- move the Body I H out of its horizontal Situation.

Conceive a Weight hung in the Centre of Gravity F, equal to the Weight of the whole Body I H, and find the common Centre of Gravity M, of that and the given Weight G. If the Point M be laid on the horizontal Plane ; the Weight G will not be able to move the Body H I out of its Place.

Suppofe, e.g. F the Centre of Gravity of the Staff, which is diftant from its Exttemity by the Space IF 20 Inches 5 the Bucket of Water to weigh 24 Pounds, and the Weight of the Staff to be 2 LF = i8 Inches : We fhall find LM = LF.F. (G + F) = i8. 2 :22=: i8:ii=i<;« 3 .; fo that 'tis no wonder the Bucket hung on the Staff I H, laid on the Table, does not fall.