KIC, STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURi^. 



REPORT OF Till*: I)I-:PARTMENT OF PHYSICS. 



President F. S. Kedzie, College. 



Dear Sir — The following is a brief record of the activities of the Physics 

 Department for the school year ending June 30, 1919. 



Due to the fact that both the regular and S. A. T. C. work in physics 

 were given simultaneously during the fall terra, it became necessary to 

 enlarge our lecture room facilities. The northwest corner room on the 

 first floor of the Forestry Building, formerly used by the Home Economics 

 Department as a laboratory, was converted into a very satisfactory 

 auxiliary lecture room. 



A self ventilating storage battery room was built in the agricultural 

 physics laboratory. This has meant much to the department by eliminat- 

 ing the acid fumes which heretofore permeated the building, thereby 

 corroding delicate and expensive apparatus. 



A uniciue switchboard was designed, built and installed by Professor 

 Armstrong for the distribution of low voltages (8, 16, 32 and 64 volts) to 

 lecture rooms and laboratories. This enables us to draw as high as 400 

 to 600 amperes direct current for lecture table demonstration purposes, 

 as well as giving constant voltages for laboratory work. 



The rebuilding of an old rotary converter of 2 K. W. capacity has made 

 it possible for us to obtain alternating current for lecture and laboratory 

 uses. 



During the Summer School of 1918 the following courses in physics 

 were given: Id, le; 2d, 2f; 4b; also a course in High School physics. 

 This work was presented largely from the laboratory rather than the usual 

 lecture, quiz and laboratory standpoint, which allowed a greater amount 

 of personal work as the classes were small. 



Since the equipment of the Physics Department was well suited for 

 presenting the starting, lighting and ignition work given to the Motor 

 Mechanics, our lecture I'oom and apparatus were used by them during 

 the summer and fall terms. 



The work of the fall term was quite out of the ordinary. School l)egan 

 October 1st with the S. A. T. C. program not clearly defined. A tentative 

 program outlined by a committee of the faculty was supplanted by a 

 course of study prepared by the Committee on Education and Special 

 Training, Washington, D. C. 



The total number of men enrolled in the war courses in physics was 

 201. These were either 19 or 20 year men who had chosen some one of the 

 following groups the of service. 



19 YEAR MEN 



