Page:The Kinematics of Machinery.djvu/508

 CHAPTER XII.

THE ANALYSIS OF COMPLETE MACHINES.

" Altes Fundament ehrt man, darf aber nicht das Recht aufgeben, irgendwo einmal wieder von vorne zu griinden." Gothe.

129.

Existing Methods and Treatment.

Now that by the help of kinematic analysis we have examined the machine as a combination of constructive elements, and also investigated the nature of the latter individually, we have brought ourselves to our final problem the examination of the machine as a whole. This completed, our work will end as it began, with the machine itself, the dismembering of which, in order that we might better examine it kinematically from every possible point of view, we commenced in our first chapter. It might be supposed that we should by this time have become acquainted with all the essential characteristics of complete machines. We have indeed done so to a certain extent, but only by examining these characteristics singly, as disjecta membra, each one apart from its connection with others. It still remains necessary to review them and their mutual relations as a whole, and we shall find that this examination will explain some things as to the nature and use of the machine which have not yet come at all under our consideration.

We must first examine the way in which it has been usual hitherto to treat this subject, in order to see how far it is justified