110 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



REPORT OF DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS AND ELECTRICAL 



ENGINEERING. 



To the President: 



I have the honor to submit my report for the Department of Physics 

 and Electrical Engineering for the year ending June 30, 1898. 



The regular classes in Physics have been carried on without change. 

 The increased number of students has not materially increased the work 

 in the lecture courses. The only inconvenience, so far, has been the low 

 seating capacity of the lecture room. Outside of the regular lectures, 

 two important changes have been introduced. First, a seven weeks, 

 course in the fall term for agricultural sophomores in physical lab- 

 oratory practice. The time allowed and the place assigned in the course 

 are the best that could be selected. The agricultural sophomores are at 

 the same time on the last half term of the regular one-year course in 

 general physics. The class expressed themselves as having received 

 both pleasure and profit from the course. The second change was the 

 elimination from the woman's course of the third term in general 

 physics and the substitution in its place of a term of domestic physics. 

 Four hours per week is devoted to quantitative work having direct ap- 

 plications in modern domestic science; three hours per week to lectures 

 and discussions. Ten women took the course. The work is important 

 and interesting and capable of being developed into an exceedingly val- 

 uable course. 



The laboratory practice courses have required the most careful con- 

 sideration. A course adopted to the needs of our students and fitting 

 our limited equipment for laboratory work had to be devised and worked 

 out in all its details. The laboratory work occurs in periods of two hours 

 each. Upon this time basis and a modest money limit such a course has 

 been laid out. In the first place, the course is strictly quantitative, all 

 authorities agreeing that this is necessary to prevent mere trifling with 

 apparatus. Second, practical utility has been made an essential in select- 

 ing each experiment. The experiments are those which have the most 

 important and frequent applications in life. Third, laboratory forms 

 were decided upon as the result of several years' trial with various 

 methods. Two hours' work is laid out on each form. By the use of the 

 form, the student is guided in his thinking, but is not at all relieved from 

 the necessity of thinking, and he is at the same time enabled to derive 

 full benefit from the quantitative work. 



The size of the divisions for laboratory practice is of great importance. 

 Comparatively, but a small number can be directed to advantage at one 

 time. In the physical laboratory practice room sixteen would be a fair 

 limit. It has been necessary repeatedly to attempt to instruct as many 

 as forty at one time. The instructor should be able to get to the table of 

 each student at frequent intervals, in order to check errors and useless 

 work owing to misconception of the conditions of the experiment. The 



