CHAPELET, Fr. a piece of flat iron with three tenons or ends of timber, which is fixed to the end of a cannon.
CHAPITEAU, Fr. two small boards which are joined together obliquely, and serve to cover the touch-hole of a piece of ordnance.
CHAPPE, Fr. a barrel containing another barrel, which holds gunpowder. It likewise means a composition of earth, horse dung, and wad, that covers the mouth of a cannon, or mortar.
CHARACTER, in a general sense, implies any mark used for representing either ideas, or objects.
| Military Characters, | - | |
| Mathematical Characters, |
are certain marks invented for avoiding prolixity, and more clearly conveying the thoughts of the learned in those sciences to beginners; the chief of which are as follow:
+ in algebra is the sign of the real existence of the quality it stands before, and is called an affirmative, or positive sign. It is also the mark of addition, and signifies, that the numbers, or quantities on each side of it are added together.
- This is the note of negation, negative existence, or non-entity. It is the sign of subtraction, and signifies, that the numbers, or quantities which come after it, are to be taken from the numbers, or quantities which stand before it. As + signifies a positive or affirmative quantity, or absolute number, so - signifies a fictitious or negative number or quantity. Thus -3, is 8 times less than nothing. So that any number or quantity with the sign + being added to the same number, or quantity with the sign -, their sum will be equal to nothing. Thus 8 added to -8 is equal to 0, but -8 taken from + 8, is equal to 16.
× is the sign of multiplication. It signifies into, or multiplied by.
÷ is the mark of division, and signifies, that the numbers, or quantities before it are to be divided by the numbers after it.