Weight pushing sideways; converging water jets
How continuous versus granular loads press, with streams uniting at point n
A note headed 'Query' argues that every continuous, unified weight pushing sideways lightens the load on its perpendicular support, whereas a discontinuous or granular material such as a liquid presses on every side and so relieves its foundations. Two red-chalk sketches show water issuing from openings: one pair with parallel streams and another whose jets a, b, c, d, e converge to a single point n. The reasoning links the mechanics of pressing loads to the behaviour of flowing water.
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Continuous weight versus granular or liquid material
A continuous, unified weight that pushes sideways is lightened upon its perpendicular support. A discontinuous, discrete material such as a liquid or a granular substance instead exerts force on every side, so that what presses from the sides relieves the load on the foundations.
Water jets converging at point n
A diagram of water issuing from openings is labelled e, d, c, b, a and n. The note states that all of a, b, c, d and e unite at n, contrasting parallel outflows with jets that converge to a single point.