Centetidæ

Family of Insect i vor a, including the Tanrecs of Madagascar and the Solenodon of the W. Indies. The latter is shrew-like, with elongated snout, long scaly tail, and covered with coarse fur. The former is a small hedgehog-like every point of its revolution to move in the direction of tangents at those points; this tendency can be overcome only by a force acting toward the center; the resistance to this, caused by the inertia of the body, is the centrifugal force. If v denote the velocity of the body, and f the acceleration due to centrifugal force, and r the radius of curvature of the path of the body, f. This force, generated by the diurnal revolution of the earth, diminishes the effect of gravity at all points except the poles. At the equator, where it is a maximum, the diminution is one pound in 289. V2 r