Humanitext Reader

Aristotle · Mechanics §33.1

Why Projectiles Continue to Move After Release

Passage 36 of 38 · Greek

Summary

This passage explains why a projectile continues to move through the successive transmission of motion via a medium, and states the conditions under which this motion ceases.

§33.1Διὰ τί φέρεταί τι οὐ τὴν αὐτοῦ φοράν, μὴ ἀκολουθοῦντος καὶ ὠθοῦντος τοῦ ἀφέντος;
Why does something move in a direction other than its own natural motion, although the one who threw it does not follow and keep pushing it?
Ἤ δῆλον ὅτι ἐποίησε τοιοῦτον τὸ πρῶτον ὡς θάτερον ὤθεῖν, καὶ τοῦθ’ ἕτερον·
Or is it clear that the initiator made the first thing of such a character as to push another, and this latter to push still another?
παύεται δέ, ὅταν μηκέτι δύνηται ποιεῖν τὸ προωθοῦν τὸ φερόμενον ὥστε ὠθεῖν, καὶ ὅταν τὸ τοῦ φερομένου βάρος ῥέπῃ μᾶλλον τῆς εἰς τὸ πρόσθεν δυνάμεως τοῦ ὠθοῦντος.
And it stops when that which pushes forward can no longer make the thing moved push, and when the weight of the thing moved inclines more than the forward force of that which pushes it.

Notes

  1. §33.1οὐ τὴν αὐτοῦ φοράν — Accusative of manner or cognate accusative, meaning 'in a motion/direction other than its own natural motion.'
  2. §33.1μὴ ἀκολουθοῦντος καὶ ὠθοῦντος τοῦ ἀφέντος — Genitive absolute construction with `τοῦ ἀφέντος` as the logical subject. The negative particle `μή` (rather than `οὐ`) is used because it expresses a general condition or hypothetical circumstance.
  3. §33.1τοιοῦτον ... ὡς θάτερον ὠθεῖν — The correlative construction `τοιοῦτος ... ὡς` with an infinitive expresses character or result ('of such a kind as to push another'). The subject of `ἐποίησε` is implicitly the agent who threw/discharged the object, and `τὸ πρῶτον` refers to the first part of the medium (such as air) transmitting the motion.

Cite this passage

Aristotle, Mechanics §33.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0086.tlg023.humanitext-grc1:33.1

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