■igwii .. ^ j wi «j M«i . "i' i», B^ILLi^IROifi \i"v».:' . . --Y^. • ,.r. P"A- RE R S jaEAD BEFORE THE T- -^ '*> ** ^; .-if- J' ROYAL SOCIETY^ OF CANADA >>(»^vfe »^^' ?•■■ '^;. ,.^f . ,^r ■^■j.: '■ iii^K#*^^ 1882 &' 1883sel€t?^^ '^, '/ 1' - r- -f'-.s .-*■ 4. /':f;' '-*. ' »'■ 'J'Sf"-^).^ ..tT'-rf I. General applicaiion oftlie Prismoidal Formula. — 11. Hints to ■^ Geometers for a new edition of Euclid. — III. Simplified Solu-,; I^f- tions of problems in hydrography and parting off land. — . IV. The areas of spherical triangles and polygons to . : . Y: ,N, - . >/ any radius or diameter. ,.^ ^ . ^ .*■-- \l *'•>; .,*!.■>:- ' BIOGllAI'HICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR.- ^'?%', ./I' -■V: Vi^' i-;»: ■*-r^.*.' ;•'» .--1. ,,:s,v?-,'*-:"-c; ^e ^** fc*!! <. s-% ::J::';:;. quebec C. DAUVEAU, PUINTEU 1884 * ^^^^^^^.^.A^^^.^^^^^^^^'^^^^'^ « **V * * * * *Jt±±±ll± * ~ ' W-! ! ^ * I i * * i > * i t > i > i *^ * * • > a > ** a * * V B^ILI^^IROl!: PAPERS READ BEFORE THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA - ^ 1882 & 1883. I. GeDeral application of the Prismoidal Formula. — II. Hints to Geometers for a new edition of Euclid. — III. Simplified Solu- tions of problems in hydrography and parting off land. — IV. The areas of spherical triangles and polygons to any radius or diameter. BIOGllAPHICAL SKETCH OF TUE AUTHOR. ■^rv -.. '' QUEBEC C. DARYEAU, PRINTER 1884 ^H y6 5 . ,n'»>J^-_^ # - :-■ .,'-1 .'' -■; -t: :-.■_: i- , • -v -- PREFACE "Yk iROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA Honble P. J; 0. Chattveat^, President. • Mr. President, ■'"'- - .: .. The Society has just issued (1884) a quarto volume, well printed on good paper — paged in sections instead of consecutively — some 700 pages of french and english literature with much abstruse matter, which not more than one in a thousand can ever read, also some 46 pages of comedies which, however interesting and instructive the perusal thereof may prove, occupy somewhat of space in a work of such a nature ; while there ap- pear but two articles, one of professor Johnston, of 1882 on the "Sym- inetricallnvestigationofthe Curvatures of Surfaces," the other by M. BeviUe, "La mesure des distances terrestres par des observations astronomiques " : barely 18 pages out of 700, on subjects pertaining to inathematics. The object of the Society, I presume, as of any society of the kind is that, among others, of reporting progress and being foremost in its diffusion throughout all parts of the civilized world. I am a member of the Society and congratulate myself on being one. If the choice of the Noble Lord, its founder, first patron and fir^t — 4.— honorary president fell upon myself as one of the original members of Section III, "Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry," it must have been with the full knowledge of what He was doing. The Marquis of Lome knew of my labors and publications. He knew them to have been crowned in France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, and introduced into Japan and elswhere ; but on account of their utilitarian nature, as of other meritorious works. He desired for them a vaster field of action in the education of the world; The British Empire, the United States of America, &c., &c. The mode of arriving at this was precisely among others, the creation. of a Society, which under the prestige of its Royal Birth, an'.l with the help of an annual grant from the gov;;rnment of the Dominion, would be enabled to pubhsh and make knowm to the rest of the world, the mineral and other treasures of our vast country, as well our progress in the Arts, Sciences and Literature, both French and English. The admirable inaugural addresses of the Noble Lord himself, of Dr. Dawson, the then president of the Society and of the Honble.M. Chau- veau, its vice-president, contain many happy and pertinent allusions to this mode of taking by the hand and making known to other countries such of us as might have done something useful in the past, or of those who under the potent influence of the Royal Society might do so in the future, and whose labors, without which, might have remained unknown and the world have been deprived of certain knowledge which it might have rendered profitable for the advantage of mankind, v.^- • ■ >^-i:^ > ^*^- The importance, the world over, has not been seen, of saving to thousands an hour each day, or be it even half an hour or a quarter, in the computation for instance of the contents of a tub or vat, to which, there continues to be applied in practice and taught in our schools, Le- gendre's method with an area mean proportional between those of the opposite bases, whilst that obtained by a multiplication of factors which are arithmetic means between those of the end bases simplifies the oper- ation in a way to save much valuable time, render the operation easier of apprehension and far less subject to error. Believe me. M. President, this one thing alone made known through the medium of the Royal Society of Canada, would have sufficed to give It at once an impetus, a great prestige of public utility, with the - % honor of being the first in the field ; since the tub or vat exists under its usual shape of the erect or reversed frustum of a right cone and in all possible proportions in the arts, trades and industries of all kinds, in soap and potash factories, breweries and distilleries, &c., in every known country of the world. So far, of one of my papers: that read before the Society in 1882, and of one single item thereof, and I might enlarge on many others in the same paper, und'^.r the heading : " Application of the Prismoidal Formula to the measurement of solid forms, " t.. v J"" ■■'■■'.'.-:■--'■'' * ■ ' ■ / .- .- - 1 .i ■ In 1883, I contributed three several papers, see page LXVII ot the ** Transactions," one of which ( II ) entitled : " Simplified solutions of two " of the more difficult cases in the parting off and dividing-up of land, " also a case in hydrographical surveying. " \ Nor was anything useful seen in this, and yet they are operations which the world over, surveyors and hydrographers have every day to perform and repeat, and all such, I am positive would have been thank- ful to the Society for making known to them simplified solutions of what they consider to be difficult cases. ' Again (III), "The areas of spherical triangles and polygons to ** any radius or diameter." Will it be said that there is nothing special enough in this, nothing sufficiently scientific and utilitarian to figure in the publications of the Society. -♦.:,>-..:>!'-• ; .' ^v,- .v,,.--,r On the contrary, what labor is there not to all those having to do with such calculations when the old or ordinary rules are made use of to arrive at the doubly curved surfaces of a portion for instance of the terrestrial spheroid, as of the spherical forms pertaining to the arts and trades, such as a boiler or copper, a gazometer, a dome, the ball of a steeple, a shell, a cannon or a billard ball. Then in article (I), was there still nothing pertinent, nothing sug- gestive in, my : " Hints to young geometers for a new edition of Eu- clid. " Could it not be seen that in the thousands of schools of the old and new worlds, where this author of 2000 years ago still holds his own, these " hints " or " suggestions " might enable professors to spare their pupils much valuable time ; certainly not less than some three months in their study of the elements of geometry, while at the same time scru- pulously conserving all the deductions and conclusions of the greek author and sacrificing nothing of their logical concatenation. No, Sir, nothing of all this has been seen. We have been content to fill a 700 pages volume with articles of merit, no doubt, and which have or will have their great utility, but in a narrower field of enquiry : mineralogy, botany, chemistry, physics, astronomy, &c, and nothing to the point has been found in subjects which address themselves to the whole world and form, so to say, the basis of all education preparatory to the study of other sciences. Let us hope, M. President, that, henceforth the publication and printing of our yearly record may be tiubmitted to more mature consid- eration so that if hospitality be given to he who has treated a subject interesting to only a portion of the community, the door may not be shut against him who on the contrary has produced something interesting to humanity, the world over. v.^r & v;r- ^ i^ ^i^ e^; ■=■.*_■.-._"■-■".. ', '----" , I am not insensible though to the truth of the proverb which has it that every thing happens for the better. ;^ [■Cf. Providence, may be, has been willing to side with me. Had my feeble efforts in the direction of education and instruction, my writing* in this field been mixed up with others in a vast quarto volume ; may be they might never have been noticed, the fate of most such books, and on the other hand, the circulation of the " Transactions " being necessa- rily limited on account of their great cost, it was perhaps better, con- sidering all things, that what I complain of should have happened as it has done, so as to afibrd me the opportunity, though at m v own expense of an increased circulation. The omission may be the cause of my efforts in the direc- tion of progress and improvement, being better known, more widely circulated and appreciated, better even than they would or could have bei^^ W^v the. shield, the prestige, the ppteut influQiiQe of a Spcietj ^ — 7 — which the transactions less numerously reproduced, would have afforded me less chance of success with the numerous class of teachers and pupils, aU over the world. This more facile and succinct teaching of the geometry of lines, and of the computation of areas and solid contents, has been so to say, the object of my aspirations for many years past ; and now in a higher sphere, M. President, let me introduce to you as worthy of filling the first vacancy which may occur in section III « Mathemat -s. Physics and Chemistry" M. E. Steckel, asst. engineer of the Dept of P. M. of the Dominion one of our cleverest Canadian mathematicians and who has already made long and serious studies in acoustics, hydraulics and other sciences, and should this happen before the next meeting of the Society, I doubt not but what M. Steckel would then be ready to enrich its future annals with articles which would have their echo abroad. With my sincerest wishes for the weU being of the Societv, of which to make room for Mr. Steckel, I would be pleased to remain an honorary member, -■. ^■■ I have the honor of subscribing myself, M._ President. ; 'Your obedient servant, r^ CHS. BAILLAIKGfi, \-<'-:'n\-::f^^^^^^^^^^ A. M., S ; Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and of several other learned societies, Member of the society for the gene- ralisation of Education in France. Chevalier of the Order of St. Sauveur, Italy, Architect, Engineer, Surveyor, &c , &c., &c. 13 medals of honor and 17 diplomaa from France, Belgium, Italy, Ku88ia and Japan, etc. ,<■ .>-ni.-->-' ' • .: r ON THE APPLICATION ■ ■"^•-M^i:^'m--^>: PRiSMOIDAL FORMULA TO THE MEASUREMENT OF ALL SOLIDS By CHS. BAILLAIRG^, M. A., ■ i-.: j: Member of the Society i - the Generalization of Education in France, and of several learned and scientific Socieiies. Chevalier of the Order of St. Sauveur de Al onte-Reale, Italy, &c. Recepient of 13 medals of honor and 17 diplomas and letters from Russia, France, Italy Belgi m, Japan, &c. Member of the Ro^al Society of Canada. Read before the mathematical section of the Society on Saturday the 28th of May, 1882. ■^ -: « Cette formule V = 5-(B + B' + 4 M): (Says « the late Revd, IT. " Maingui of the Laval University) que Mr. Baillairg^ travaille k " vulgariser, a rimmense avantage de pouvoir remplacer toutes les " autres formules de st^r^om^trie." ' The prismoidal formula reads thus : " To the sum of the opposite and parallel end areas of a prismoid, add four times the middle area and multiply the whole into one sixth the length or height of the solid" • See this formula at article " St;er6ometrie " of "Le grand dictionnaire universel du XlX^me 8i6cle par P. Larousse." — 9 — The following letter from the Minister of Education, Eussia, may be considered interesting in its bearings on the subject matter of this communication. MINISTEKE DE LINSTEUCTION PUBLIQUE. hp: • Saint-Petersburg, le ih f^vrier 1877. Ko. 1823.r ;■' ':: • '^^^ ;■•':-■:- -.^.^::pv- A. M. BaillairgI:, "'[jg') ^ .; ''''^'" "-^ '•■-■" ■ Architecte k Quebec, ■--'■" - --^-^t^ ^-/.^^ ^W,c":*i>ail ■ ..,. Monsieur,""" . : ■■,%.• ■.... .r..- -^r^'U-^H^'' :--aj^iM' Le comity scientifique du ministke de I'lnstruction Publique, (de Eussie,) reconnaissant I'incontestable utility de votre "Tableau St^r^o- metrique " pour Tenseignement de la g^om^trie en g^ndral, de m^me que pour son application pratique k d'autres sciences, ^prouve un plaisir tout particulier k joindre aux suffrages des savants de TEurope et de TAm^rique sa complete approbation, en vous informant que le susdit tableau, avec toutes ses applications, sera recommand^ aux dcoles pri- maires et moyennes, pour en completer les cabinets et les collections math^matiques, et inscrit dans les catalogues des ouvrages approuves par le minist^re de Tlnstruction Publique. -^ , Agr^ez, monsieur, I'assurance de ma haute consideration. Le chef du departement au minist^re de I'lnstruction Publique, E. DE Bradker. ib — The following extract from the Quebec Mercury , July 10, 1878 further corroborates its importance, " It will be remembered that in February, 1877, Mr. Baillairg^ re- ceived an official letter from the Minister of Public Instruction, of St. Petersburg, Kussia, informing him that his new system of mensuration had been adopted in all the primary and medium schools of that vast empire. After a lapse of eighteen months, the system having been found to work well, Mr. Baillairg^ has received an additional testimonial from the same source informing him that the system is to be applied in all the polytechnic shools of the Eussian Empire. " Should the Eoyal Society of Canada prove instrumental in the introduction of the new system throughout the remainder of the civilized world, It will have shown that its creation by the Marquis of Lome, the Govr. Gen. of Canada, has been in no way premature. -^ * ' The definition of a prismoid as generally given is understood to apply to a solid having parallel end areas bounded by parallel sides. >ri This parallelism of the sides or edges of the opposite bases or end areas does not imply, nor does it exclude any proportionality between such sides or edges. ' -''- - ' ;. . '• - i ^ '^ Therefore is the frustum of a pyramid a prismoid, as also that of a cone which is nothing but an infinitary pyramid, or one having for its base a polygon of an infinite number of sides. . ,. w • Now let two of the parallel edges of either base of the frustum approach each other until they meet or merge in a single line or arris, when we have the wedge which is therefore to all intents and purposes a prismoid. Further let this edge or arris become shorter and shorter until it reduces to a point and then have we the pyramid which is again a pris- moid, as is the cone. It need hardly be said that the prism a^id cylinder are prismoids, whose opposite edges are equal as well as oarallel in the same way as ^■■■-_ -■: — 11 — - : ^ r ' for the frusta of the pyramid and cone the opposite edges are propor- tional while parallel. Now, nine tenths or more of all the vessels of capacity, the world over, and either on a large or reduced scale, have the shape of the frustum of a cone or pyramid ; the latter as evidenced in bins, troughs and cisterns of all sizes, in vehicles of capacity ; the former, ia the brewers' vat, the salthig tul), the butter firkin, the common wooden pail, the drinking goblet, the pan or pie dish, the wash tub — of whatever shape its base — the milk pan and what not else ; again the lamp shade, the shaft of a gun or mortar, the buoy, quai, pier, reservoir, tower, hay-rick, - hamper, basket and the like. , i These are forms which in every-day life the otherwise untutored hand and eye are called upon to estimate. Why then not teach a mode of doing it which every one can learn, and not only learn but what is of greater import, retain in mind or memory when mastered. . ; : * Why continue the old routine when, as here evidenced, it is so much more simple and concise, so much quicker to apply the prismoidal formula to all these forms, than resort to one more difficult of apprehen- sion and which to carry or work out requires tenfold the time the other does. Legendre's formula requires a geometric mean between the areas of the opposite bases of the solid under consideration. This mean is far less easily conceivable than the arithmetic one ; and to arrive at it the end areas are to be multiplied into each other, and the square root ex- tracted of their product; along and tedious operation, one known only to the few, most difficult to retain, forgotten as soon as learnt and therefore useless. - j; v ^^ Wiuh the formula proposed on the contrary, the operation is one which the merest child can master, the mere mechanic or the artisan remember all his life and readily apply ; for he has been taught at school to compute areas, that of the circle as well as others, a figure which he readily sees is resolvable into triangles by lines drawn from the centre to equidistant points, or not, in the circumference, and the area thence equal to the circumference — sum of the bases of the component triangles — into half the radius, or height of the successive sectors which make up the figure, r ^ . ^^ Now, of almost all the solids herein above alluded to, the opposite bases and middle section are circles and the operation can be further expedited by taking the areas ready made, to inches and even lines or less, from tables prepared for the purpose. _ - , The labour then reduces to the mere arithmetic of adding the areas so found, that is the end areas and four times the middle area, and of multiplying the sum thereof into one sixth the altitude, or depth ; that is, to the simplest form of arithmetic taught in the most elementary schools, to wit : addition and multiplication, with division added when the cubical contents in feet, inches or other unit of capacity, are to be reduced, as of inches into gallons and the like. I would have but one formula appli^ble to all bodies, and it will of course be asked : why, for instance in the case of the cylinder, the whole cone or pyramid, substitute the more complex for the simpler form of computation. My reason for doing so has its untold importance to thousands of the human race. Memory is not a gift to every one. I have none of it myself or hardly any, and its absence only entails a little reasoning as I am now to show. I have seen students, only three months out of college doubtful as to which of the ordinary formulae to apply, to the pyramid or cone, the conoid, the spheroid. In one — the first — the volume is due to the base and one third the height ; in the second, the base and one half the height ; in the other, the base and two thirds the height. Any mistake is fatal tothe result. - ^ • ?. - But with the one and only one, the unique and universal formula which I propose to substitute for every other, no error can obtain. Take hold of the pyramid or cone : set down its upper or one end area or that of its apex, equal nought (0) or zero, its other end area, whatever that may be. Its middle area, you see at once is one quarter that of its base ; for the middle or half way diameter is half that of the base, and the areas of similar figures as the squares of their homologous or like di- mensions. Now, ere you have put this down on paper; ere yoai h£^v§ .<--/:-;,: ;.- — 13— "•-: had time to do sc, the reasoning process is going on within yonr mind and in far less time than it takes me to relate it — that four times the middle area plus the area of the base is equal to twice the base, and that twice the base into one sixth the altitude is precisely the same thing , as once the base, that is, the base into one third the altitude, and so come you back to the old or ordinary rule, the simpler of the two in this c ise, and without the necessity of having this formula stored in your mind as a separate process. And so with the cylinder where you see at once that the area of each base and of the middle section being all equal quantities, the sum of these bases and of four times the middle section is tlie same thing as six times the base, and again that six times the base into one sixth the altitude is the old rule of the base into the altitude, without the ne- cessity of remembering it as a separate and additional formula. But the great advantage of this one universal rule, its beauty so to say is further evidenced and more strikingly in the computation of the more difficult solids, that is of those which are more difficult under the old or ordinary rules. ' In the spnere, spheroid and conoids, the one area, that at the apex or crown is always nought or nothing, as a plane there touches them in one and only one point. The formula applied to the sphere and spheroid therefore reduces to four times the middle area into one sixth the altitude or diamet3r or axis perpendicular to the plane of section. Now, let it be required to measure the liquid in a conoidal or spheroidal vessel inclined to the horison or out of the vertical. This by ordinary rules, becomes an operation of much time, trouble and anxiety, as the size of the whole body or solid of which the portion or figure under consideration forms a part, has to be made known, its factors en- tering into the formula for the content required ; whereas by the pris- moidal formula, no concern need be had as to the dimensions of the entire body of which the figure submitted to computation is a segment That the rule applies to all such cases, is and has been abundantly proven by myself (see my treatise of 1866) as applied to any segment of a sphere or spheroid, to any ungula of such solids contained between — 14— ... • planes passing in any direction through the centre, to any frnstiim of these bodies, — lateral or central — contained between parallel planes inclined in any way to the axes ; to any parabolic or hyperbolic conoid, right or inchned, as well to any parallel frustum of either. > ■ TIlis proof has been substantiated by MM. Steckel of the Dept. of Dominion Public Works, Deville a member of this society, and the late Eevd. M. Maiugui, professor of Mathematics at the I>aval University, as well by the |ievd. M. Billion, of the Seminary of St. Sulpice — Montreal ; by His Grace, bishop Langeviu of Rimouski, and by many other ma- thematicians fully adequate to the task. M. Mangui says (page IX of his pamphlet and as already quoted from the french version) : " This formula "" tp- ^ is that " which Mr. Baillairge is endeavouring to introduce ; it has the irr^ *' Tnense advantage of replacing all other stereometrical formulae." This is the only formula which ^vill allow of teaching stereometry in all schools however elementary, and as has just been shown, the appli- cation of it is the more simple, so to say, the more complex the body is, since in the conoid and segment of spheroid, one of the factors at least is zero, while two of them are zeros in the sphere and spheroid as in their ungulae. - Thus while the student at college or from a University after having devoted much time to the acquisition of a hundred rules for the cubing of as many solids, has hopelessly forgotten them in after life, the com- paratively illiterate artisan, tradesman, merchant, &c. who has never fre- quented ought but a village school, will, having but one rule where- with to charge his memory, remember it all his life and be ever ready to apply it ? : In the case of spindles and the measurement of their middle frusta '-the representatives of casks of all varieties and sizes, — the prismoidal formula does not bring out the true content to within the tenth or twentieth and up to the half or thereabout of one per cent ; notwith- standing which, it is the only practical formula which can bring out anything like a reliable result. The true formulae for casks never can, nor will they ever be applied ; they are too lengLly, too abstruse, and the — 15— . wine merchant will tell you that the nearest the guage rod can come to within the truth, the guage rod founded on these formulae, is to within from one to three and even four per cent. This stands to reason, as when operating on the half cask — which is always done with all figures ha""iiig symmetrical and equal halves— the half way dia» eter between the head and bung, the very element by which the cask varies its capa- city, enteri as a factor into the computation, while the guaging rod can take no note of it. ' . , = It remains but to say that in the case of hoofs and ungulae of cones and cylinders, of conoids and of spheroids, when the bounding planes do not pass through the centre, the prismoidal formula is still the best to be employed in practice, and again brings out the volume to within one half or so of one per cent. The true rules applicable to these ungulae can never be remembered, nor are or will they ever be applied in practice. Eather than that, the fudging or so called rule of thumb system, some averaging of the dimensions is sure to be resorted to and a result arrived at, where two or three to five per cent of error is considered near enough, while the proposed application of the prismoidal formula would reduce the error to almost nothing. ^ Compound bodies mUst of course be treated separately or in parts. Thus, a gun or mortar, as made up of a cylinder or the frustum of a cone and the segment or half of a sphere or spheroid ; a moorish or tur- kish dome, as the frustum of a spheroid surmounted by a hollow cone ; a roofed tower, as a cone and cylinder, a cone and frustum of a cone or two conic frusta as the case may be aud so of other compound forms. Again when frusta between non parallel bases are to be treated, the solid is to be divided by a plane parallel to one of its bases and passing through the nearest edge or point of its opposite base, into a frustum proper and an ungula, subject to the percentage of error already noticed in the volume of the ungula ; while, by cubing the whole conoid or segment of a spheroid of which the frustum forms a part, and then the segment which is wanting to make up the whole, the true content can be arrived it. There are a class of solid forms where it would appear at first sight that a departure from the prismoidal formula becomes necessary ; — 16 — not so however as will presently be seen. I allude to the cubing of the fragment of a shell for instance, or of the material forming the vaulting of a dome as contained between its intrados and extrados. This is simply arrived at, when the inner and outer faces are parallel or when the dome or arch is of uniform thickness by applying the spherical, sphero- ^"»1 or cylindrical surfaces of the opposite bases, and the equally curved surlace o." the middle section ; while, when the faces are not parallel or the thickness of varying dimensions, as well when the faces are everywhere equidistant, the volume may be had by cubing the outer and inner com- ponent pyramids and taking the difference between them. And in the making out of such spherical areas as may enter as factors into any computation, a most concise and easy rule will be found at page 35 of my '* stereometricon " published in 1880 ; where any such area can in a few minutes be made up by the mere multiplication and addition of the elemental quantities given in the text, and any portion of the earths surface thus arrived at when the radius of the osculatory circle for the given latitude is known. With irregular forms, the figure can be sliced up and treated by the formula, and those forms when small and still more complex, such as carving, statuary, bronzes ami the like, can be measured with minute accuracy by the indirect process of the quantity of fluid of any kind dis- placed, as of water when non absorbent or of sand or sawdust etc., when the contrary. Again may the specific gravities of bodies be applied, or their weights to making out their volumes by simple rule of three, or the reverse process of weighing them by ratio when their volumes are ascertained. ; . :- Finally the quantities and respective weights of the separate subs- tances which enter into amalgams or alloys are obtainable as taught by a comparison of their weights in air and water, that is of the amalgam itself and of its unalloyed constituents. The whole field of solid mensuration is thus gone over in these few pages, instead of the volume required to contain the many separate and varied formulae which the old process of computation gives rise to and renders indispensable. The whole I say is gone over in as many minutes as the old process requires hours or even days. »■:,...?■■ HINTS TO gf-ometi:rs FOB A NEW EDITION OF EUCLID. Read before the mathematical, physical and chemical section of the Ro^al Society of Canada, May 22, 1883. :'r-':^i:%f. Euclid is, no doubt, an admirable treatise, a purely logical series of propositions, a beautifully and wonderfully Mnked concatination of theorems; but I fail to see how for 2000 years it can have been written and rewritten without its striking one to what considerable ex- tent its several propositions are reducible in number by making mere axioms of some of them, corollaries of others. > aI- 1^ It is most singular how this ancient geometry holds its own against the hand of time, when other sciences have been so to say, ground down and reduced, generalized and simplified. - - r^ Our veneration for the greek author must not degenerate into ignorance and ungodliness ; life is too short and there are too many other sciences to learn now a-days to devote a year or more to a study of tne olden master. ^--^^^^^-^^^^^ . ^^^ .^ The two hundred and odd propositions of the first six books of Euclid as edited by Dr. John Play fair in 1856 may likely be reduced to less than half the number, while sacrificing none of the conclusions plj of which may be retained as corollaries, postulates, axioms. — 18 — ' The fifth book, to begin with, may be altogether eliminated by a different treatment of the subject which can hardly be considered as stricktly geometrical, since by the substitution for instance of the term ** quantity " for " magnitude, " general expressions may be arrived at applicable both to geometry and arithmetic and signally simplifying and facilitating the solution of a great variety of problems, as what is un- derstood to be applicable to numbers is just as easily apprehended when applied to the units which go to make up all geometrical magnitudes, and which magnitudes can hardly be otherwise conceived than as made up of such units, whether, linear, superficial, cubic or angular. And if the book be not eliminated in toto, many of its separate theorems may be so treated and their number thus reduced. All axioms are not such self evident propositions as to require no process of reasoning to render them acceptable as such. The mental process may be of extremely short duration, but it exists, and it suffices to extend the process within very narrow limits to embrace numerous other propositions and reduce them also to axioms or to corollaries thereof ; for if things which are doubles or halves of the same thing are equal tc one another, it is not more difficult to conceive, that things which are quadruples or quarters of the same thing are also equal to one another, and thence arrive at the more general axiom that quantities which q,Te equal multiples or submultiples of the same quantity are equal to each other. ' , Now, ratios between geometrical magnitudes or quantities of all kinds can not be otherwise conceived than as numerical, for if their ra- tios be expressed in lines or otherwise, these last present themselves to the mind as made up of equal units and again convey the idea of number. ^ '- ^,:- - ; ,■ .- ^-r. , v. ::^;-; v, ,.'.—■": -ly'v''--' Equal ratios are therefore to all intents and purposes equal num- bers, and what is true of the one, must be so of the other ; hence I fail to see the necessity, as a separate proposition of such theorems as the 11th of the 5th book of Euclid, that : " Katios which are equal to the same ratio are equal to one an- other, " since as just stated this may be made a mere corollary to that — 19 — axiom which declares that things which are equal to the same thing are equal to one another. . In the same way may propositions, 1, 7, 9, 1 5 and F. and in fact most of the others of this book be considered self evident, or rendered so by a much easier process of reasoning and demonstration, by consider- ing all the magnitudes in their simple and uncombined state A, B, C, D, as in their compound state of m A or m times A, n li or n times B, as sim- ple quantities made up of so may units of geometrical magnitude, or in other words as numerical quantities or numbers expressive of the con- tents thereof. V ■ Eeturning now to a consideration of the first book of Euclid ; why, may I ask, were not propositions 2 and 3 made mere postulates. Again, should not proposition 22 of this book be made the very first of the series, and proposition 1 a mere corollary to it. To be sure, Euclid re- serves it till after the 20th where he shows that any two sides of a triangle must be together greater than the third side and this renders its position more strictly logical, if proposition 20 be essential ; but 20 can not be so considered when the very definition of a straight line, as the shortest distance between two points makes it evident that the passing over any two sides of a triangle to arrive at the third is a longer mode of transit than going straight to the point aimed at. . ^. . , Theorems 13, 14, 15, 20, 27, 28 of this book relating to perpendi- culars and parallels may be easily deduced as corollaries from the defi- nitions, '■''' ■" -r"^-. .:;.-: •'-'?; ■-■>^<,' Proposition 30 that straight lines w^hich are parallel to the same straight line are parallel to one another need be nothing more than au axiom or a corollary thereto, for this very parallelism is defined to con- sist of equality of distance throughout, between the lines so styled, and as equals added to or taken from equals, the sums or remainders are equal, the lines being equidistant must be parallel. Proposition 34 may be deduced from 33, and so of 36 from 35, for Euclid who in his 4th and 8th of this book, applies the one triangle or figure to the other might equally as w^ell have done so in the case of 36 — 20 — and thus reduced the case of parallelograms on equal bases, to the pre- ceding case of parallelograms on the same base. v , The two next propositions 37 and 38 have really, no solid founda- tion for being treated separately ; for, not only can the one be merged into the other as of 36 and 35, and for a like reason, but both of them should be made mere corollaries to 35, dependant on the axiom or self evident pro- lX)sition that what is true of the wholes is equally true of the halves, every triangle being the ex.>ct half in shape and dimensions of its corres- ponding parallelogram, or, conversely, every parallelogram ihe double or duplicate both in size and shape of its coiTesponding or component triangle, which is amply set forth in Euclid's S-iih of this book. • Of the 2nd book of Euclid most of the propositions, as of those of the 5th book are susceptible of numeric or algebraic demonstration and may be thus greatly simplified and rendered more easy of apprehension. Proposition 5 of this book is a fruitful one in the tiolution of many problems, as where the area and periphery of a figure are given to find the sides ; but, to this effect it must be shewn, which is not done, that what is termed ihe line between the points of section, is in other words half the difference between the lines, and by thus connecting the opera- tion with the rule for finding any two quantities of which the sum and difference are given, the proposition becomes suggestive which it is not in its present form. Of the 3rd book it may be said, with Clairaut : it must be because Euclid had to deal with a set of obstinate sophists who were bent on refusing assent to the most self-evident propositions, that He found it necessary to prove as he has done of proposion 2 of this book, that the chord of a circle lies wholly within the circle, as if the very definition of such a line were not sufficient to locate it. : -* Neither can it be argued that there was any necessity for theorems 5 and 6 of this book which are self-evident propositions. With regard to 23, 24, 26, 27, 28 and 29 they may be all reduced to one general propo- sition with the others brought in a*^ corollaries. There is in reality no essential difference between problems 1 and -21- 25, as the process for finding the centre from which an arc is described, applies equally whatever the extent of the arc be, and even up to when it becomes an entire circumference. ; A different and more easy solution of 33 reduces its several oases to one and so of 35 and 36 where by similar triangles or in other ways may the several caseri be reduced to one for each of the two propositions. What necessity there is or vras of Playfair's, additional proposition A after those of Euclid, I fail to see, as from the very definition of a circle and of its diameter passing through the centre, the proposition is self evident ? Playfair's prop. B of this book is nothing but a repetion of Euclid's 5th of book 4, for what else are the angular points of any triangle, but the same as any other three points not in one and the same straight line, and of his propositions C and D the same remark may be made as of No. 22 and others, that they are all deducible directly as corollaries from one general proposition. Of book 4, in prop. I, the restriction that the given straight line to be placed or inscribed in the circle must not be greater than the diameter of the circle can hardly be warranted, as it is evident the diameter or double radius, is from the nature of the cir-■-;. -•f. M:' :fJ --^ : » i THE ^REJ^S OE SPHERICAL TRIANGLES & POLYGONS TO ANY KADIUS OR DIAMETER. Read before the mathematical, physical and chemical section of the Royal yociety of Canada, May 22nd 1883. Last year I laid before this section of the Royal Society my pro- posal to substitute in schools the prismoidal formula for all other known formulae pertaining to the cubing of solid forms. I then showed that on this sole condition, the computation of soli- dities, even the most difficult by ordinary rules, as of the segments, frusta and ungulae of Conoids and Spheroids was susceptible of gene- ralisation and of being taught in the most elementary institutions. I then submitted that the advantage of the proposed system con- sisted in this, that >^hile he who had gone through a course of mathe- matics would, in three n^onths thereafter or out of college, have complete- ly forgotten or have inextricably mixed up in his mind the numerous and ever varying formulae for arriving at the contents of solids ; the simple artisan, on the contrary, who at an elementary school would have been taught the universal formula, and who from the fact of having to learn but one, could not forget it nor mix it up in his mind with any others, could apply it always and everywhere during a life time without the aid even of any book excepting may be, to save time, a table of the areas of circles or of other figures lengthy of computation. *•':■■ — 29 — ' What I then did for the measuremerit of solid forms I now propose to do for the mensuration of areas of spherical triangles and polygons on a sphere of any radius ; I mean a simple and expeditious mode of getting at the doubly curved area of any portion of the terrestrial spheroid as of every sphere great or small : interior or exterior surface of a dome for example or of one of its component parts, as well of the bot- ton or roof of a gasometer, boiler or of one of the constituents sections thereof, descending even to the surface of the ball of a spire, a shell, a cannon or a billard ball. -ff , . . TO THIS END : ^ - v^ . The area of a sphere to diameter I. being . =:?.l41,592,6o3,n81),793-l- •' ' sM Dividing by •>, we get that of the hemisphere =l,570,7')^l,«i>8,7-'4,l ' -H90=area of I" or of bi-rect. sph. tri. with sp. ex=lo =0,004vit>:),:?-i:?,l'29,985,S- ^ -HbO= " ofl' or of " " <• « 1' =0,000,07 •^>,7-,%0;VJ,lH(5,4:5 • ' ^60= " of Tor of " " « « 1" =0,000,00 1, -i I •->,O34,-i0-J,77 ; . •• -hlO= " of 0.1" or of " « " " 0.1" =(l,O!l0,O0O,l21,-.*0:?,4-iO,'i77 -5-10= « of 0.0 1" or of" « « « 0.01" =0,000,000,0 i -J, l-^0,:54-.>,0->:,7 -i-10= « of 0.00 1" or of « '' « « 0.001" =0,000,000,00 l,-il-.>,0:J4,-iOJ,77 Find the spherical excess, that is, the excess of the sum of the three spherical angles over two right angles, or from the sum of the three spherical angles deduct 180°. Multiply the remainder, that is, the spherical excess, by the tabular number herein above given : the degrees by the number set opposite to 1°, the minutes by that corresponding to 1' and so on of the seconds and fractions of a second ; add these areas and multiply their sum by the square of the diameter of the sphere of the surface of which the given triangle forms part ; the result is the area required. EXAMPLE. " ' " Let the spherical excess of a triangle described on the surface of a sphere of which the diameter is an inch, a foot, or a mile, etc., be 3° — 4' — 2.235". What is the area ? Area of 1° = 0.004,363,:V2:},l-i9,985,8 X 3 = 0.013,089,969,389,955 « r =0.000,07-2,72i,05-.>, 160,43 X 4 = 0.000,-J90,888,->08,t;64 « l" = 0.000,O01,-Jl-i,O34,-20> X 2 = 0.000,00-J,4-,>4,( H)8, 104 « 0.1" = 0.000,000,l-Jl,->03,4JO X 2 = 0.000,000,->4-.',406,8J0 ^ COL" = 0.000,000,01->,120,342 X 3 = 0.000,000,036,3ol,0i6 « 0.001" = 0.000,000,001,-i 1-^,031 X 5 =0.000,000,006,060,170 Area required 0.013,383,.'i6(i,495,059 — 30 — The answer is of course in square units or fractions of a square unit of the same name with the diameter. That is, if the diameter is an inch, the area is the fraction of a square inch; if a mile, the franction of a square mile, and so on. , ., , ,.: -...Mt Eemark. — If the decimals of seconds are neglected, then of course the operation is simplified by the omission of the three last lines for tenths, hundredths and thousandths of a second or of so many of them as may be omitted. If the seconds are omitted, as would be the case in dealing with any other triangle but one on the earth's surface, on account of its size ; there will in such case remain only the two upper lines for degrees and minutes, which will prove of ample accuracy when dealing with any triangular space, compartment, or component section of a sphere of the size of a dome, vaulted ceiling, gasometer, or large copper or boiler, etc ; and in dealing with such spheres as a billiard or other playing ball, a cannon ball or shell, the ball of a vane or steeple, or any boiler, copper, etc., of ordinary size, it will generally suf&ce to compute for degrees only. Whence the following RULE TO DEGREES ONLY. '■ 1 Multiply the spherical excess in degrees by 0.004,363 and the result by the square of the diameter for the required area. For greater accuracy use— 0.004,363,323. , .. .. RULE TO DEGREES AND MINUTES. ' ' ■?■' - Proceed as by last rule for degrees. Multiply the spherical excess in minutes by 0.000,073, or for greater accuracy by 0.000,072,722. Add the results, and multiply their sum by the square of the diameter for the required area. .;; ^'^:^^^ ■"-■^-- EXAMPLE I. -■■'" -^'■"- ^■-";-^'^ ■ ■:;;■--■ Sum of angles 140" + 92° +68° = 300 ; 300 — 180 = 120° sphe- rical excess. Diameter =30. Answer area of 1° 0.004,363 Multiply by spherical excess 120* We get 0.523,560 This multiplied by square of diameter 30= 900 Required area =^ 471,194,000 A result correct to units. If nov greater accuracy be required, it is be obtained by taking in more decimals ; thus,say area 1°= 0.004 363,323 0.523,598,760 900 .471.238,884,000 EXAMPLE II. The three angles each 120°, their sum 360°, from which deducting 180° we get spherical excess = 180°. Diameter 20, of which the square = 400. Answer Area to 1°= 0.004,363.323 . 180 0.785,398,140 400 EXAMPLE IIL 314.159,256,000 The sum of the three angles of a triangle traced on the surface of the Terrestrial sphere exceeds by (1") one second, 180°; what is the area of the triangle, supposing the earth to be a perfect sphere with a diame- ter = 7,912 English miles, or, which is the same thing, that the diame- ter of the Terrestrial spheroid or of its osculatory circle at the aiven point on its surface be 7,912 miles. .^ . Answer. Area of 1" to diameter 1. = 0.000,001,212,034,202 Square of diameter 62,598,744 /_ _. ■ ■ _ (75.871,818,730,242,288 Eemark.— This unit 75.87 etc., as applied to the Terrestrial sphere, becomes a tabular number, which may be used for computing the area of any triangle on the earth's surface, as it evidently suffices to multiply the area 75.87 etc., corresponding to one second (1") by the number of seconds in the spherical excess, to arrive at the result ; and the result may be had true to the tenth, thousandth, or millionth of a second, or of any other fraction thereof by successively adding the same figures — 32 — 75.87 etc., with the decimal point shifted to the left, one place for every place of decimals in the given faction of such second : the tenth of a second giving 7.587 etc., square miles, the 0.01"=: .7587 of a square mile, the 0.001"= .07587 etc., of a square mile, and so on ; while, by shifting the decimal point to the right, we get successively 10" = 758.7 square miles, 100" = 7587. etc., square miles, or 1' = 75.87 X 60 (num- ber of seconds in a minute), 1°= 75.87 X 60 X 60 (number of seconds in a degree). RULE. ■ s' To compute the area of any spherical polygon. Divide the polygon into triangles, compute each triangle separately by the foregoing rules for triangles and add the results. I OR, From the sum of all the interior angles of the polygon subtract as many times two right angles as there are sides less two. This will give the spherical excess. This into the tabular area for degrees, minutes, seconds and fractions of a second, as the case may be, and the sum of such areas into the square of the diameter of the sphere on which the polygon is traced, will give the correct area of the proposed figure. It may be remarked here that the area of a spherical lune or the convex surface of a spherical ungula is equal to the tabular number into twice the spherical excess, since it is evident that every such lune is equivalent to two bi-rectangular spherical triangles of which the angle at the apex, that is the inclination of the planes forming the ungula, is the spherical excess. Kemark. — The area found for any given spherical excess, on a sphere of given diameter, may be reduced to that, for the same spheri- cal excess, on a sphere of any other diameter ; these areas being as the squares of the respective diameters. The area found for any given spherical excess on the earth's sur- face, where the diameter of the osculatory circle is supposed to be 7912 miles, may be reduced to that for the same spherical excess where tho osculatory circle is of different radius ; these areas being as the squares of the respective radii or diameters. ■'V* •-•» BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR* . •. Chevalier Chas. P. F. Baillairge, M.S., ', QUEBEC. T'. '/:'■.•;■' ^".' The subject of this sketch, who is a Chevalier of the Order of St. Sauveur de Monte Eeale, Italy, was born in September, 1827, and for the past thirty-three years has been practising his profession as an en- gineer, architect and surveyor, in the city of Quebec. Since 1856 he has been a member of the Board of Examiners of Land Surveyors for the province, and since 1875 its chairman ; he is an honorary member of the Society for the Generalization of Education in France ; and has been the recipient of thirteen medals of honor and of seventeen diplomas, &c. from learned societies and public bodies in France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Japan, &c. Mr. Baillairge's father who died in 1865, at the acre of 68, was born in Quebec, and for over thirty years was road surveyor of that city. His mother, Charlotte Janverin Horsley, who is still livincr Was born in the Isle of Wight, England, and was a daughter of Lieute- nant Horsley, R.N. His grandfather on the paternal side, P. Florent •ton— HMHMIB * From the Canadian Biographical Dictionary and Portrait Gallery of Eminent and Self Made- men. American Biographical Publishing Company, Chicago, New York and Toronto, 1881. ; .-34- : Baillairg^, is of French descent, and was connected, now nearly a cen- tury ago, with the restoration of the Basilica, Quebec. The wife of tho latter was Mile Cureux de St. Germain, also of French descent. Our subject married, in 184.5, Euphdmie, daughter of Mr. Jean Duval, and step-daughter of the Hon. John Duval, for many years Chief Justice of Lower Canada, by whom he had eleven children, four of whom only survive. His wife dying in February, 1878, he, in April of the following year, married Anne, eldest daughter of Captain Benja- min Wilson, of the English navy, by whom he has two children. Mr. Baillairgd was educated at the Seminary of Quebjc, but, finding the curriculum of studies too lengthy, he left that institution some time before the termination of the full course of ten years, and entered into a joint apprenticeship as architect, engineer and surveyor. During this apprenticeship he devoted himself to mathematical and natural science studies, and received diplomas for his proficiency in 1848, at the age of 21. At that period he entered upon his profession, and for the last seven- teen years has filled the post of city engineer of Quebec, is manager of its water works, and since 1875 has been engineer, on the part of the city, in and over the North Shore, Piles and Lake St. John Eailways. Mr. Baillairge has held successive commissions in the militia, as ensign, lieutenant, and captain ; and in 1860, and for several years there- after, was hydrographic surveyor to the Quebec Board of Harbour Com- missioners. In 1861, he was elected vice-president of the Association of Architects and Civil Engineers of Canada. In 1858, he was elected, and again in 1861 unanimously re-elected, to represent the St. Louis ward in the City Council, Quebec. In 1863, he was called for two years to Ottawa, to act as joint architect of the Parliament and Departmental buildings, then in course of erection. Interests of considerable magnitude were then at stake between the Government and the contractors, claims amounting to nearly half a million of money having to be adjusted. In connection with his employment by the Government, Mr. Baillairg^ found, that to continue his services he must be a party to some sacrifice of principle, which, rather than consent to, he was indiscreet enough to tell the authorities of the time. This excess of virtue was too moral for the appointing power and more than it was disposed to brook in an em- 35 ployee of the Government. The difficulty wns, therefore, got over by giving Mr. Baillairg^ his feuille de route^ a com}»litn(3nt to his integrity of which he has ever since been justly proud. He shortly afcerwurds returned to Quebec. • - ' During his professional career, Mr. BailLiirge designed and erected numerous private residences in and around Quebec, as well as many public buildings, including the. Asylum and the Church of the Sisters of Charity, the Laval University building, the new gaol, the music hall several churches, both in the city and in the adj(jining parishes, that of Ste Marie, Beauce being much admired on account of the beauty and regularity of its interior. The " Monument des Braves de 17G0'*wa3 erected in 1860, on the Ste Foy road, after a design by him and under his superintendence. The Government, the clergy and others have often availed themselves of his services in arbitrations on knotty questions of technology, disputed boundaries, builders claims, surveys and reports on various subjects. In 1872, Mr. Baillarge suggested, and in 1878 designed and carried out what is now known as the Dufferin Terrace, Quebec, a structure some 1,500 feet in length, overlooking the St. Lawrence from a height of 182 feet, and built along the face of the cliff under the Citadel. This terrace was inaugurated in 1878 by their Excellencies the Marquis of Lome and H.K.H. the Princess Louise, who pronounced it a splendid achievement. 5 In 1873, Mr. Baillairg(^ designed and built the aqueduct bridge over the St. Charles, the peculiarity about which is that the structure forms an arch as does the aqueduct pipe it encloses, whereby, in case of the destruction of the surrounding wood- work by fire, the pipe being self-supporting, the city may not be deprived of water while re-con- structing the frost-protecting tunnel enclosure. At the age of seventeen, the subject of our sketch built a double cylindered steam carriage for traffic on ordinary roads. From 1848 to 1865 he delivered a series of lectures, in the old Parliament buildings and elsewhere, on astronomy, light, steam and the steam engine, pneumaticS; acoustics, geometry, the a1;mosphere, and other kindred subjects, under the patronage of the Canadian and other Institutes ; audi in 1872, in th^ rooms of the Literary and Histor.!cal Society, Quebec, under the auspices of that Institution, he delivered ar* exhaustive lecture on geometry, mensuration, and the stereornetricon (a mode of cubing all solids by one and the same rule, thus reducing the study and labour of a year to that of a day or an hour), which he , had then but recently invented, and for which he wa» made honorary member of several learrsd societies, and received the numerous medals and diplomas already alluded to. The following letter from the Ministry of Public Instruction, Russia, is worthy of insertion as explanatory of the advantages of the stereornetricon : MiNISTRE DE lInSTHUCTION PuBLIQUE, Saint- Petersbourg, le it fevrier 1877* Ko. 1823, A. M. BaillairgI^, Architede d QuSec, MoNSiKUR.— 'Le comit^ scientifique du ministete de rinstruction Publique, (de Russie), reconnaissant Tincontestable utility de votre " Tableau St^reom^trique " pour I'enseignement de la geometric en g(^neral, de meme que pour son application pratique k d'autres sciences, ^prouve un plaisir tout particulier k joindre aux suffrages des savants de I'Europe et de I'Amerique sa complete approbation, en vous informant ;, que le snsdit tableau, avec toutes ses applications, sera recommand^ aux ^coles primaires et moyennes, pour en completer les cabinets et les collections mathematiques, et inscrit dans les catalogues des ouvrages approuves par le ministere de Tlnstruction Publique. On fera, en outre, des dispositions pour faire venir de TAmt^rique k Saint-Peterbbourg quelques exemplaires de vos editions, et vous ete& — 37— • prie instamment, monsieur, d'avoir la boute d'infornier le eomit^ s*il ii'exib:3 pas quelque part en Europe, un d^pot de vos ouvrages mathd- inatiques. = x -. ; r i* Agr^ez, monsieur, I'assurance de ma haute consideration. Le chef du departe^nent au minist^re de I'lnstruction Publique. .( E. DE Bkadkek. And che Quebec Mercury^ of the 10th July, 1878, has the following in relation to a second letter from the same source : It will be remembered that in February, 1877, Mr. Baillairg^ received an official letter from the Minister of Public Instruction, of St. Petersburg, Rrssia, informing him that his new system of mensuration had been adopted in all the primary and medium schools of th&t vast empire. After a lapse of eighteen months, the system having been found to work well, Mr. Baillairg^ has received an additionnal testimonial from the same source, informing him that the system is to be applied in all the polytechnic schools of the Kussian empire." ^; Mr. Baillairge has since that time, given occasional lectures in both languages on industrial art and design, and on other interesting and instructive topics and is now engaged on a dictionary or dictionaries of the consonances of both the French and English languages. In 1866, he wrote his treatise on geometry and trigonometry, plane and pherical, with mathematical tables — a volume of some 900 pages octavo, and has since edited several works and pamphlets on like subjects. In his work on geometry, which, by the way, is written in tlie French language, Mr. Baillairg^ has, by a process explained in the preface, reduced to fully half their number the two hundred and odd propositions of the first six books of Euclid, while deducing and retaining all the results arrived at by the great geometer. Mr. Baillairge, moreover, shows the practical use and adaptation of problems and theorems, which might otherwise appear to be of doubtful utility, as of the ratio between the tangent, whole secant and part of the secant without the circle, in the laying out of railroad and other curves '^----: -:-:'"--- ^ ' - ^-- - - - -" . — 38 — : ^ _ ■^ iJ running through given points, and numerous other examples. His treatment of spherics and of the affections of the sides and angles is, in many respects, novel, and more easy of apprehension by the general student. , . ,- ^ - i In a note at foot of page 330, Mr. Baillairge shows the fallacy of Thorpe's pretended solution of tlie trisection ~»f an angle, at which the poor man had laboured for thirty-four years, and takes the then Government to task for granting Mr. Thorpe a patent for the discovery. In February 1874, he visited Europe, and it was on the loth of March of that year that he received his first laurels at the " Grand Conservatoire National des Arts et Metiers," Paris. Mr. Baillairgd lately issued a report on the defects in the mode of building in this province, and recommended the establishment of a Poly- technic JSchool for the Province of Quebec, which is now shortly about to be opened in the provincial capital under Government patronage. It is due to the praiseworthy efforts of the Kev. Brother Aphraates, sup- erior of the order of Christian Brothers, and of which institution Mr. Baillairge, it is understood, is to be professor of technology and en- gineering. Some of Mr. Baillairg^'s annual reports on civic affairs are very interesting and instructive; that of 1878, on "the municipal situation," is particularly worthy of perusal. His report of 1872 was more espe- cially sought after by almost every city engineer in the Canadas and United States, on account of the varied information it conveyed. It may also be remembered, as illustrative of the versatility of his talent and of his humoristic turn of mind, that a comedy, " Le Diable Devenu Cui- sinier," written by him in the French language, was, in 1873, played in the '' Music Hall," and again in the " Salle Jacques Cartier," Quebec, by the Maugard Company, then in the ci^^% to the great merriment of all present. . ' .^, . '- ;•- . < Nor will the members of "Le Club des 21," composed as it is of the literati^ scientists and artists of Quebec, under the presidency of the Count of Premio Keal, Consul-General of Spain for Canada, soon forget how, in March, 1879, Mr. Baillairgt?, in a paper read at one of tjie — 39 — .: sittings of the Club, around a well-spread board, successively portrayed and hit off the peculiarities of each and every member of the club, and of the count himself, while at the same time doing full justice to the abilities of all. -..<•. . ^ ,^ v Mr. Baillairg^ is a close and industrious worker, devoting fourteen hours out of the twenty-four to his professional callings, and again rob- bing the night for the time to pursue his literary and sientific pursuits. In politics, if he may be said to have any, he his inclined to Liber- alism, but he is of too independent a character to be tied to a party, preferring to treat each question on its merits, irrespective of its pro- moters, f'^' The subject of this sketch is brother to G. F. Baillairg^, Deputy Minister of Public Works of the Dominion, and grand nephew to Frs. Baillairg^, an eminent painter and sculptor " de I'Academie Koyale de Peinture et Scupture, France '' '^ho carved some of the statues in the Basilica, and whose studio in St. ^jouis Street (the quaint old one story building, now Driscoll's livery stable) was at that time so often visited by Prince Ewdard, Duke of Kent, father of Queen Victoria, during his sojourn in Quebec. u. ^ * A portrait of Mr. Baillairge, but which, however, does not do him justice, accompanied by a brief biographical notice, appeared in L*Opin- ion Puhlique, of the 25th April 1878. The Rivista Universale, of Italy, also published his portrait and a biographical sketch of Mr. Bail- lairg^'s career, in February of 1878. ' ' ' ' "■" _._,: _ —40 — Since the above was edited, in 1879, Mr. Baillairg^ has been the recipient of the following additional testimonials : ^7^ Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, s: - ?.; - ^ . •: ;^- ; Grenville St., Toronto, Jan. 7th 1880. Dear Sir, "" ''''''^-I'-T^- . /:V' "".'":''''' [^' .'./''-[J. I am commanded by His Excellency the Governor General (Mar- quis of Lome) to inform you that he has been pleased to nominate you as an associate of the New Canadian Academy. . v^» . ^^ ^^ s*** " ' ''^ ^ ' ^ (Signed), ' L. N. O'BKIEN", ^^^;t President, ' , Royal Society of Canada. , ^ . ' Montreal, March 7th 1882. ' I have the honor to intimate to you by request of the Governor General (Marquis of Lome,) that His Excellency hopes you will allow yourself to be named by him as one of the twenty original members of The Mathematical, Physical and Chemical Section of the New Literary and Scientific Society of Canada, the first meeting of which will be held at Ottawa on the 25th of May. Should you accept be good enough to state what work you wish associated with your name. I have the honor to be Sir , ' r Your most obedient, ^""\./::!:-'^-; -;:^^ . L STEKRY HUNT, President of the Mathematical, Physical & Chemical Section. C. Baillairg^, Esq. « ■ -Ho^e? cZu Oouvernementf A Monsieur le Chevalier Baillairg^, Quebec, MoN Cher Monsieur, .. ' ^ , w\- :> . ■' Je vous prie d'accepter mes sinc^res remerciments pour Tenvol que vous m'avez fait d*uEe serie complete de vos ceuvres scientifiques, ainsi que du volume de la '* Galerie " oh se trouve votre biographie et votre portrait. J'ai M tr^s sensible k cett« attention de votre part; vos travaux et votre reputation qui s'est fait jour mtoe en Europe font honneur, permettez*moi de vous le dire, k notre patrie et k la nationalite franco- canadienne. Notre jeune pays compte encore peu d'illustrations dans le monde de la science, et il doit ^tre d'autant plus fier de ceux de ses enfants qui attirent aur etix I'attention des hommes dont Topinion fait autoritd* Veuillez accepter ma photographic et agr^er, Monsieur le Chevalier, rhommage de la parfaite consideration avec laquelle j'ai I'honneur d'etre, Votre ob^issant serviteur, THfiODOKE ROBITAILLK Lieutenant-Gouverneur de la Province de Quebec. In July 1882 Mr, Baillairg^ T^as unanimously elected president of the newly incorporated body of Land Surveyors and Engineers of the Province of Quebec* Hotel du Gouvernement Quebec 18 juin 1877. Monsieur, ; "; ' ''-'■ "' ""''^ Permettez-moi de vous offrir mes remerciments pour I'envoi que vous m'avez fait de votre ouvrage " Traits de Geometric et de Trigono- metric qui vous fait tant d'honneur ainsi qu*^ notre pays. Comme president de la Commission Canadienne a Philadelphie j'ai eu occasion de faire examiner votre tableau stereometrique par les ; —42 — repr^sentants de la Grande-Bretagne, de la France, de TAlleraagne, de la Russie, de TEspagne, du Portugal, de I'ltalie etj\ une seule exception il ^tait connu et hautement appr^ci^ par eux tous. Monsieur Lavoine, Ing^nieur des Fonts et Chaussees, que je counus k Philadelphie, ou il avait la direction de I'exposition des modeles des Travaux Publics de France, m'en park alors, de meme que durant une visite qu'il me fit a Ottawa, I'automne dernier, de la mani^re la plus flatteuse pour vous et pour les Canadiens. - ' Je suis heureux, Monsieur, de ces tdmoignages qui vous honorent et de savoir que vos travaux, tant de fois couronnes dans notre pays et a r^tranger, viennent de I'etre encore k rExpositionUniverselle de 1876 k Philadelphie. Je demeure, Monsieur, Votre obeissant serviteur, L. LETELLIER. Lieut. -Gouverneur de la Province de Quebec. . ■ , ' • Monsieur C. Baillairg^, Ing^nieur Civil, Quebec. Hotel du Gouvernement Quebec, 18 juin 1877. MoN CHER Monsieur, S'il vous ^tait possible de passer k mon bureau, j'aurais le plaisirde savoir que vous consentez, k entrer dans le cercle des Auteurs Cana- diens, dont je desire m'entourer intimement, de temps a autres a Spencer Wood. L. LETELLIER, M. C. Baillairg^, Quebec. I :n^ D E X. Preface — Papers read before the Ptoyal Society of Canada in 1882 and 1883 3 On the application of the Prismoidal Formula to the measurement of all solids ;. 8 Hints to Geometers for a new edition of Euclid 17 * Simplified Solutions of two of the more difficult cases in parting off or dividing-up land, and of a case in Hydrographic Sur- veying ^^^^^ 23 The areas of Spherical Triangles and Polygons to any radius or diameter 28 Biographical sketch of the author 33