18 Of the Attra&ion of Cohesion.

only on Contact; and therefore, (5.) Itmust be nearly proportional to the Quan-tity of contiguous Surfaces 1 or the Parts, of Bodies cohere most strongly, whose

touching Surfaces are largest. (6.) ThisPower must efecrease as the Squares of theDistances increase; because it must be sup-posed to istue from each Particle in right-lined Directions. (7.) Where the Sphereof Attraction ends, there a Repelling Powerbegins, by which the Particles, instead ofattraSlingy repel and fly from each other-(8.) By this Power the small Portions orDrops of a Fluid conform themselves to aspherical Figure (IX).

The

(IX) To illustrate this Matter of Corpuscular Attrac-tion and Repulsion: Let A, B, (in Fig. 9, 10, 11, 12.)Plate I. represent two small Bodies or Corpuscles of Matter; andtheir Spheres of Attraction, (or Extent of their Attract-ing Power every Way) be C D E, and E F G. Thenit is evident,

1. That the Force with which the Bodies attract eachother will be greatest in the Cafe where they touch eachother.

2. If the Bodies arc of a spherical Figure (as Fig. 9. JPlate I, they can touch but in a single Point; and therefore the

Power with which they stick or cohere together will bethe slightest or weakest possible.

3. But if the Bodies are bounded by plain Surfaces(as Fig. 12.) the Power of Cohesion will be so muchthe greater, as the Number of Particles, or Area ofthe Surface by which they touch, is larger.

4. If the Corpuscles A, B, touch not, but are yetwithin the Sphere of each other’s Attraction, (as Fig. 10.)they will then be easily moveable qi voluble about each

other,