Buffon's Natural History. Volume 10 (of 10) / Containing a Theory of the Earth, a General History of Man, of the Brute Creation, and of Vegetables, Minerals, &c. &c - comte de Georges Louis Leclerc Buffon

IV. That of two inches heated white in 13 minutes, cooled so as to be held in the hand in one hour 20 minutes, and to the actual temperature in three hours 16 minutes.

V. That bullet of two inches and an half heated white in 16 minutes, cooled so as to be held in the hand in one hour 42 minutes, and to the actual temperature in four hours 30 minutes.

VI. That bullet of three inches heated white in 19¹/₂ minutes, cooled so as to be held in the hand in two hours seven minutes, and to the actual temperature in five hours eight minutes.

VII. That of three inches and a half heated white in 23¹/₂ minutes, cooled so as to be held in the hand in two hours 36 minutes, and to the actual temperature in five hours 56 minutes.

VIII. That of four inches heated white in 27 minutes and a half, cooled so as to be held in the hand in three hours two minutes, and to the actual temperature in six hours 55 minutes.

IX. That of four inches and a half heated white in 31 minutes, cooled so as to be held in the hand in three hours and 25 minutes, and to the actual temperature in seven hours 46 minutes.

X. That of five inches heated white in 34 minutes, cooled, so as to be held in the hand, in three hours 52 minutes, and to the actual temperature in eight hours 42 minutes.

The most constant difference that can be taken between each of the terms which express the time of cooling, from the instant the bullets were drawn from the fire, to that when we can touch them unhurt, is found to be about 24 minutes, for, by supposing each term to increase 24, we shall have 12, 36, 60, 84, 108, 132, 156, 180, 204, 228 minutes. And the continuation of the real time of these coolings are, 12, 35¹/₂, 58, 80, 102, 127, 156, 182, 205, 232 minutes, which approach the first as nearly as experiment can approach calculation.

So, likewise, the most constant difference to be found between each of the terms of cooling to actual temperature is found to be 54 minutes, for by supposing each term to increase 54, we shall have 39, 93, 147, 201, 255, 309, 363, 417, 471, 525 minutes, and the continuation of the real time of this cooling is found, by the preceding experiments, to be 39, 93, 145, 196, 248, 308, 356, 415, 466, 522 minutes, which approaches also nearest to the first.