Catholic encyclopedia

QUANTITY

Quantity: translation

Quantity
•Interpretations of quantity as either a physical or theoretical abstraction

Catholic Encyclopedia.Kevin Knight.2006.

Quantity
Quantity
†Catholic_Encyclopedia►Quantity
(Gr.poson; Lat.quantitas,quantum, correlate totantum)
Aristotle, in his "Categories" places quantity (with which he deals at length from the logical standpoint in the sixth chapter) first in his enumeration of the nine accidents. His list of the possible heads of classification of predicates has reference to a concrete, material subject, and, as shown by the last two predicaments (jacereandhabere), principally to man. Quantity does not, therefore, as philosophy is at present divided, fall properly under the treatment of ontology, but of cosmology. It presupposes the material. In "Metaphysics", IV, the concretequantumis described as "that which is divisible into the parts included in it, of which any and each is potentially one andhoc quid".By this description the inexistent parts of thequantumare discriminated from the elements in the compound, the matter and the form, which are not each potentially "one andhoc quid". Quantity is distinguished into
(1) continuous, and
(2) discrete.
Continuous (geometrical) quantity is that which consists of parts having position in reference to each other, so that the limit of the one is the limit of the next. These parts, each potentially "one andhoc quid", do not form a multitude, an aggregate of units, but one divisiblequantum, or measurable size. They are not actual entities. (This doctrine is not unanimously held in the School.) Continuous quantity is further subdivided into;
(1) successive, and
(2) permanent.
Time and movement are examples of successive, the line, surface or tridimensional body of permanent continuous quantity. It is to be noted that time and movement have no reality apart from quantified things which move, and of which the movement is measurable; and that the line and superficies are no more than abstractions practised upon the realquantum— tridimensional body. Discrete (arithmetical) quantity is made up of discontinuous parts. The resultant whole is a unityper accidens, in which the elements coexist as a plurality. Number and speech are given as examples. Quantity has no contrary, nor does it admit degrees. There is no contrary to a given length or superficies; nor is any one quantity, as such, more a quantity than another is. Large, small, etc., as used in reference to extended things, fall more properly under the category of relation. Equal and unequal are affirmed of objects in virtue of their quantity alone. Not only is material substance affected by the accidental form of quantity, but all the other accidents are measurable, at leastper accidens, as when we say "much and little white". St. Thomas ("Summa", III, Q. lxxvii, a. 2) makes all the accidents "related to their subject by the medium of dimensive quantity, as the first subject of colour is said to be the superficies".
An important question is raised as to the nature of the distinction to be drawn between substance and quantity. The School generally, following Aristotle, holds that, as quantity is that reality which makes the indivisible substance potentially divisible (Physics, 1. 2), the distinction to be admitted is a real one. There is considerable diversity of opinion as to whether this can be demonstrated by arguments of natural reason. Aristotle's own argument lies in the consideration that length, breadth, and depth are quantities, but are not substances. But against this it has been urged that these things do not exist as such at all. They are abstractions formed by the dissociation produced by varying concomitants. Suarez, Pesch, De San, Nys, and others hold that the distinction is demonstrable; but most of the arguments advanced are negative ones. For Descartes and his school, quantity, or extension, is the essence of corporeal substance. The distinction to which allusion has just been made has no place in the system (cf. DESCARTES). The definition of the Council of Trent, however, teaches that quantity is really distinct from substance. It is of faith that the substances of bread and wine in the Eucharist are changed at the consecration (Sess. XIII, cap. iv); but the quantity remains sensibly unaltered. To escape this difficulty, the Cartesians had recourse to several explanations, none of which seems to be in any way satisfactory. Continuous quantity is seen to be, in the philosophy of the School, an attribute and accident of body. Corporeal substance, as such, is not quantitatively divisible. When actuated by quantity it becomes so; but is not yet spatially displayed. The accident is thus distinguished by Scholastics from the further accident of formal extension which is complementary to it, and by which the parts, already rendered distinct by quantity, are localized in space. Through the aptitude to being determined by this accidental form, matter is held to be individuated; the principle of individuation of corporeal beings ismateria quantitate signata.
GROTE,Aristotle(London, 1872); HAAN,Philosophia naturalis(Freiburg, 1898); LORENZELLI,Philosophi Theoretic Institutiones(Rome, 1896); MERCIER,Ontologie(Louvain, 1902); NYS,Cosmologie(Louvain, 1906); ST. THOMAS AQUINAS,Opera(Parma, 1852). (Cf. especiallyDe principio individuationis, De natura materia et dimensionibus interminatis, De natura generis, De natura accidentis.)
FRANCIS AVELING.
Transcribed by Douglas J. PotterDedicated to the Sacred Heart ofJesus Christ

The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume VIII. — New York: Robert Appleton Company.Nihil Obstat.1910.


  1. quantity—мед.сущ. количество количество Англорусский медицинский словарь....Англо-русский медицинский словарь
  2. quantity—величина количество...Англо-русский физический словарь
  3. quantity—кльксть[c steelblue] кост...Analytical Chemistry (Eng-Ukr)
  4. quantity—quantity translation nounADJECTIVE considerable enormous great huge immense large massive sheer significant substantial vast copious generous prodigious vast copious...Collocations dictionary
  5. quantity—quantity translationSee UNKNOWN QUANTITY....Dictionary of American idioms
  6. quantity—quantity translationSee UNKNOWN QUANTITY....Dictionary of American idioms
  7. quantity—quantity translationa collective noun a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit for smelt...Dictionary of ichthyology
  8. quantity—quantity bersetzung quantity Menge f Quantitt f...Englisch-Deutsch Worterbuch gesetz
  9. quantity—quantity translation Number of units or lots of a futures contract. Sometimes also called size. Chicago Mercantile Exchange Glossaryu quantitystrong quantity [kwntti ...Financial and business terms
  10. quantity—quantity translationSynonyms and related wordsAlexandrine a mass of a world of abundance accent accentuation accommodation account acres affluence aggregate amount amphib...Moby Thesaurus
  11. quantity—величина количество alternating quantity basic injection quantity oil change quantity starting quantity...Англо-русский автомобильный словарь
  12. quantity—[kwntt]количество численность числобольшое количествовеличина размер параметрвеличинадолгота звука количество звука...Англо-русский большой универсальный переводческий словарь
  13. quantity—constant quantity flow quantity...Англо-русский гидрогеологический словарь
  14. quantity—transcription транскрипция [ kwntt ] количество размер величина большое количество quantity discount quantity on hand quantity production quantity theory of mo...Англо-русский деловой словарь
  15. quantity—количество тж. филос. большое количество долгота звука количество звука...Англо-русский дополнительный словарь
  16. quantity—q количество...Англо-русский дорожно-транспортный словарь
  17. quantity—количество величина размер параметр in batch quantities партиями сериями напр. об обработке деталей quantity of heat actuating quantity alternating quantity analog q...Англо-русский машиностроительный словарь
  18. quantity—Количество...Англо-русский морской словарь
  19. quantity—величина количество численность число ancillary [auxiliary] quantity вспомогательная величина balanced periodic quantity уравновешенная периодическая величина compl...Англо-русский научно-технический словарь
  20. quantity—количество...Англо-русский онлайн словарь
  21. quantity—количество...Англо-русский онлайн словарь
  22. quantity—количество величина...Англо-русский словарь биологических терминов
  23. quantity—количество величина размер параметр...Англо-русский словарь компьютерных терминов
  24. quantity—n количество...Англо-русский словарь Лингвистика-98
  25. quantity—quantity [kwntt] nu количество тж.u филос.unegligible quantity незначительное количество величина которой можно пренебречь перен.u человек с которым не считаются челове...Англо-русский словарь Мюллера
  26. quantity—.strong количество размер .strong матем. величина .strong параметр economical quantities of oil промышленное количество нефти commercial quantity dimensionless quantit...Англо-русский словарь нефтегазовой промышленности
  27. quantity—сущ. а количество тж. филос. численность число quantity repaired количество отремонтированных изделий in large quantities в большом количестве considerable quantity ...Англо-русский словарь общей лексики
  28. quantity—aircraft fuel quantity...Англо-русский словарь по гражданской авиации
  29. quantity—количество величина размер параметр alternating quantity analog quantity digital quantity dimensionless quantity discrete quantity doubleprecision quantity fixedp...Англо-русский словарь по компьютерам
  30. quantity—количество величина размер параметр in batch quantities партиями сериями напр. об обработке деталей actuating quantity alternating quantity analog quantity auxili...Англо-русский словарь по машиностроению и автоматизации производства
  31. quantity—n .strong количество .strong доля часть .strong pl большое количество множество изобилие .strong величина. strong количество strong доля часть strong мн.ч. большое ко...Англо-русский словарь по социологии
  32. quantity—количество величина размер доля accessible bypass routes quantity alternating quantity analog quantity channelsinmodule quantity channelsinrack quantity communic...Англо-русский словарь по телекоммуникациям
  33. quantity—Количество размер величина in quantity quantity issued quantity on hand quantity received quantity of shipments quantity of value batch quantity best order quantity contr...Англо-русский словарь по экономике
  34. quantity—n. количество большое количество величина количество звука долгота звука...Англо-русский словарь редакция bed
  35. quantity—количество n число n...Англо-русский словарь стекольной промышленности
  36. quantity—физическая величина количество quantity of cement quantity of motion scalar quantity specific quantity of sewage water unknown quantity vector quantitystrongАнглорусский ...Англо-русский словарь строительных терминов
  37. quantity—количество размер величина большое количество quantity discount quantity on hand quantity production quantity theory of money buy in quantity...Англо-русский словарь финансовых терминов
  38. quantity—kwnttколичество размер величина большое количество...Англо-русский словарь экономических терминов
  39. quantity—сущ.emstrong количество доля часть мн.ч.em большое количество множество изобилие величина....Англо-русский социологический словарь
  40. quantity—количество величина численность число adjusted quantity analog quantity auxiliary quantity auxilliary quantity complex quantity controlled quantity correlated quantity de...Англо-русский технический словарь
  41. quantity—сущ. сокр. Qtyа общ. количество численность числоto determine the quantity определять количествоlarge quantity большое количествоsmall quantity незначительное количест...Англо-русский экономический словарь
  42. quantity—n кльксть розмрnegligible quantity незначна кльксть величина якою можна знехтувати перен. людина на яку не зважають людина яка не ма ваги мат. величинаincommensurable qu...Англо-украинский словарь
  43. quantity—кльксть quantity of evidence...Англо-украинский юридический словарь
  44. quantity—людина кльксть величина...Англо-український словник
  45. quantity—n...Англо-український словник авіаційних термінів
  46. quantity—n кльксть large велика кльксть negligible незначна кльксть мат. мзерно мала величина розмр incommensurable quantities непорвнянн величини unknown невдоме перен. люди...Англо-український словник Балла М.І.
  47. quantity—Розмркльксний параметр...Англо-український словник технічних термінів
  48. quantity—розмркльксть кльксний параметр величина...Англо-український словник технічних термінів II
  49. quantity—кльксть quantity of evidence...Англо-український юридичний словник
  50. quantity—Количество Величина Параметр. Краткий толковый словарь по полиграфии....Краткий толковый словарь по полиграфии
  51. quantity—[kwntt] n. количествоquantity on hand количество имеющееся в наличииlarge [considerable] quantity большое [значительное] количествоproduct quantity количество продукц...Новый большой англо-русский словарь
  52. quantity—quantity [kwntt] ni . количество on hand количество имеющееся в наличии large [considerable] большое [значительное] количество product количество продукции innumer...Новый большой англо-русский словарь II
  53. quantity—kwntt n . количество on hand количество имеющееся в наличии large большое значительное количество product количество продукции innumerable incalculable бесчи...Новый большой англо-русский словарь под общим руководством акад. Ю.Д. Апресяна
  54. quantity—См. quantit....Пятиязычный словарь лингвистических терминов