FALL

, the descent or natural motion of bodies towards the centre of the earth, &c. Galileo first discovered the ratio of the acceleration of falling bodies; viz, that the spaces descended from rest are as the squares of the times of descent; or, which comes to the same thing, that if the whole time of Falling be divided into any number of equal parts, whatever space it falls through in the first part of the time, it will Fall 3 times as far in the 2d part of time, and 5 times as far in the 3d portion of time, and so on, according to the uneven numbers 1, 3, 5, 7, &c. See ACCELERATION, Descent, Gravity, &c.

FALSE-BRAYE, in Fortification. See FAUSSEBRAYE.

False Position, in Arithmetic. See Position.

False Root, a name given by Cardan, to the negative roots of equations, and numbers. So the root of 9 may be either 3 or - 3, the former he calls the true, and the latter the false or fictitious root; also of this equation x2 - x = 6, the two roots are 3 and - 2, the former true, and the latter False.

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Entry taken from A Mathematical and Philosophical Dictionary, by Charles Hutton, 1796.

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FACIA
FACTORS
FACTUM
FACULTY
FALCATED
* FALL
FASCIA
FASCINES
FATHOM
FAUCON
FEBRUARY