QUANTITY

(Lan. quant us, how much.) A property of anything capable of being increased or diminished. Quantity is distinguished into continued and discntr. It is continued when the parts are connected together, and b then called magnitude, which is the object of geometry. It is discrete when the parts have an unconnected and independent existence, forming multitude or number, which is the object of arithmetic. The quantity of matter in any body is proportional conjointly to the magnitude and den sity of the body, and is measured by its absolute weight. Quantitv of morion is used synonymously with momentum, to denote the product of the quantity of matter in the moving body by its xelocity. Algebraic quantities are tlw expre ions of indefinite numbers. Quantity. In Prosody, the amount of time in a sylln ble. Syllables are either short or long; the former being the unit or smallest measure of time, the latter constating of two times. Tliis distinction is clearly marked in tho [s. 1026]