"MATHEMATICS AND CHEMISTRY": A REPLY 393 



examination, for I withhold my opinion of the value or otherwise 

 of examinations as being quite irrelevant. 



The class of readers to whom my book is addressed is, I 

 think, made sufficiently clear in its title. It is not written for 

 experts. There is obviously a difference here which Mr. Worley 

 unfortunately does not keep clear. After stirring up our 

 sympathies for "the undergraduate struggling against various un- 

 necessary and unnatural obstacles to obtain a degree," he further 

 on leaves this unfortunate individual quite in the lurch and turns 

 his attention to the more dignified subject of " the mathematical 

 requirements of the chemist for the purposes of investigation and 

 research." It must be confessed that by this sudden change of 

 attitude the writer to a great extent robbed us of those tender 

 feelings which he at first so successfully aroused. Although we 

 should pity that student, what really could be our attitude to- 

 wards one who had survived that iniquitous thing, " our present 

 educational system " and was still capable not merely of " in- 

 vestigation " but also of " research " ? He can surely be trusted 

 to look after himself and in the rest of this paper he will be 

 allowed to do so. 



The answers to be given to the remaining questions are 

 largely matters of opinion and can most properly be left to the 

 judgment of the individual teacher. Since, however, Mr. 

 Worley has given us his opinions, it may be permitted to me to 

 express mine. The amount of mathematics which should be 

 taught to the chemical student varies, as has already been said, 

 with the future prospects of the latter. If he intend to devote 

 himself to synthetic organic chemistry, he will need only very 

 little, whereas if he be going to do original work in physical 

 chemistry, he will require more, although still not very much as 

 compared with the physicist. As a rough mean value, I am 

 inclined to indicate what is set out in my text-book, which may 

 therefore be taken as the expression of my opinion on this side. 

 Now the more important question how the student may with the 

 greatest advantage be taught the amount of mathematics which 

 has previously been decided is necessary and tentatively 

 sufficient for his requirements. Here Mr. Worley is again rather 

 indefinite, for he says that although " chemists are taught 

 mathematics without sufficient instructions in the way in which 

 the weapons put into their hands are to be used and especially 

 the way in which they are not to be used," yet " it would probably 



