- Mechanical philosophy
- Mechanical Me*chan"ic*al, a. [From {Mechanic}, a.]
[1913 Webster]
1. Pertaining to, governed by, or in accordance with,
mechanics, or the laws of motion; pertaining to the
quantitative relations of force and matter on a
macroscopic scale, as distinguished from {mental},
{vital}, {chemical}, {electrical}, {electronic}, {atomic}
etc.; as, mechanical principles; a mechanical theory;
especially, using only the interactions of solid parts
against each other; as mechanical brakes, in contrast to
{hydraulic} brakes.
[1913 Webster +PJC]
2. Of or pertaining to a machine or to machinery or tools; made or formed by a machine or with tools; as, mechanical precision; mechanical products. [1913 Webster]
We have also divers mechanical arts. --Bacon. [1913 Webster]
3. Done as if by a machine; uninfluenced by will or emotion; proceeding automatically, or by habit, without special intention or reflection; as, mechanical singing; mechanical verses; mechanical service. [1913 Webster]
4. Made and operated by interaction of forces without a directing intelligence; as, a mechanical universe. [1913 Webster]
5. Obtained by trial, by measurements, etc.; approximate; empirical. See the 2d Note under {Geometric}. [1913 Webster]
{Mechanical effect}, effective power; useful work exerted, as by a machine, in a definite time.
{Mechanical engineering}. See the Note under {Engineering}.
{Mechanical maneuvers} (Mil.), the application of mechanical appliances to the mounting, dismounting, and moving of artillery. --Farrow.
{Mechanical philosophy}, the principles of mechanics applied to the investigation of physical phenomena.
{Mechanical powers}, certain simple instruments, such as the lever and its modifications (the wheel and axle and the pulley), the inclined plane with its modifications (the screw and the wedge), which convert a small force acting through a great space into a great force acting through a small space, or vice versa, and are used separately or in combination.
{Mechanical solution} (Math.), a solution of a problem by any art or contrivance not strictly geometrical, as by means of the ruler and compasses, or other instruments. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
