RELATIONS OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING 599 



ment for teachers to keep in touch with practice is greater through 

 consulting work than in the other departments. The criticism of 

 the man just out of practice upon the mechanical laboratory would 

 probably be that things are arranged too conveniently. A machine 

 or a series of machines is made ready for operation, and the student 

 makes certain observations from which he deduces results. In 

 some cases he is not even allowed the responsibility of operation. 

 In practical testing it is the getting ready that needs the engineer's 

 best ingenuity and judgment and effort. 



Steam Engineering. The tendency in this work has been too 

 much to go far into theoretical thermo-dynamics. This is usually 

 "over the heads" of the average undergraduates. What the 

 engineer needs is a working knowledge. The thermo-dynamic 

 theory which suffices for this is not difficult, but it needs to be 

 thoroughly understood. Again it is better to go deeper and not 

 so far. Also the economic part of power development should be 

 emphasized. It is not so much producing a maximum result per 

 pound of steam as producing a maximum result per dollar cost. 



These are criticisms in detail. What would be the criticism of 

 the course as a whole --of the spirit of the place? In general it 

 would probably be that the school needs to "get in line" with 

 practice. The student coming out should not need to turn even 

 through a small angle but should go straight on. Some details may 

 illustrate : 



Engineering work is done because it is paid for, and no solution 

 is right which ignores the money factor. In the operation of any 

 mechanical engineering installation, there is cost of labor; cost of 

 supplies, including energy; cost due to depreciation; cost due to 

 interest on first cost; cost of repairs; cost of probable delays; cost 

 of taxation and insurance. 



There may be many combinations of machines and apparatus 

 that would give the required result, and each combination might 

 vary all cost items. The engineer must determine the combin- 

 ation that would give the least sum of costs. It is believed that the 

 schools are apt to consider economy of elements rather than of 

 aggregates, and to neglect variations due to local conditions. This 

 is not in line with practice. 



Another thing that is not sufficiently emphasized is the judging 

 of results by their reasonableness. I quote from a recent address 

 to the graduating class of Stevens Institute by Mr. Walter C. 

 Kerr: "This again is a thing which each man does for himself 

 in his own best way, and its essence consists in asking one's self 

 whether the thing is reasonable. It is a great check upon error. 

 It applies equally to nearly everything of which engineering is 

 composed. It is the power of the human mind, after performing 



