Page:The Construction of the Wonderful Canon of Logarithms.djvu/48

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24 CONSTRUCTION OF THE CANON.

these definitions arithmetical increase always the same corresponds to geometrical decrease similarly proportioned, of necessity we conclude that equi-different logarithms and their limits correspond to similarly proportioned sines. As in the above example from the First table, since there is a like proportion between 9999999.0000000 the first proportional after radius, and 9999997.0000003 the third, to that which is between 9999996.0000006 the fourth and 9999994.0000015 the sixth; therefore 1.00000005 the logarithm of the first differs from 3.00000015 the logarithm of the third, by the same difference that 4.00000020 the logarithm of the fourth, differs from 6.00000030 the logarithm of the sixth proportional. Also there is the same ratio of equality between the differences of the respective limits of the logarithms, namely as the differences of the less among themselves, so also of the greater among themselves, of which logarithms the sines are similarly proportioned.

37.Of three sines continued in geometrical proportion, as the square of the mean equals the product of the extremes, so of their logarithms the double of the mean equals the sum of the extremes. Whence any two of these logarithms being given, the third becomes known.

Of the three sines, since the ratio between the first and the second is that between the second and the third, therefore (by 36), of their logarithms, the difference between the first and the second is that between the second and the third. For example, let the first logarithm be represented by the line b c, the second by the line b d, the third by the line b e, all placed in the one line b c d e, thru:—

and