TRACT 37.

OF GUNNERT.

215

that the velocity of the ball increases with the increase ofcharge only to a certain point, which is peculiar to each gun,where it is greatest; and that by further increasing thecharge, the velocity gradually diminishes, till the bore isquite full of powder. That this charge for the greatest ve-locity is greater as the gun is longer, but yet not greater inso high a proportion as the length of the gun is; so that thepart of the bore filled with powder, bears a less proportionto the whole bore in the long guns, than it does in the shorterones; the part which is filled being indeed nearly in the in-verse ratio of the square root of the empty part.

11. It appears that the velocity, with equal charges, al-ways increases as the gun is longer ; though the increase invelocity is but very small in comparison to the increase inlength; the velocities being in a ratio somewhat less thanthat of the square roots of the length of the bore, but greaterthan that of the cube roots of the same, and is indeed nearlyin the middle ratio between the two.

12. It appears, from the table of ranges, that the rangeincreases in a much lower ratio than the velocity, the gunand elevation being the same. And when this is comparedwith the proportion of the velocity and length of gun in thelast paragraph, it is evident that we gain extremely little inthe range by a great increase in the length of the gun, withthe same charge of powder. In fact, the range is nearly asthe 5th root of the length of the bore; which is so small anincrease, as to amount only to about a 7th part more rangefor a double length of gun.—From the same table it also ap-pears, that the time of the ball’s flight is nearly as the range;the gun and elevation being the same.

13. It has been found, by these experiments, that no dif-ference is caused in the velocity, or range, by varying theweight of the gun, nor by the use of wads, nor by differentdegrees of ramming, nor by firing the charge of powder indifferent parts of it. But that a very great difference in thevelocity arises from a small degree in the windage: indeedwith the usual established windage .only, viz, about of the