THE POSSIBILITIES OF COOPERATION 403 



peated stress. In the case of cold-stretched steel, for low 

 stresses the fatigue strength is actually less than for the same 

 steel before stretching. 



These phenomena, and others that illustrate the complexity 

 of this problem, afford abundant opportunity for further re- 

 search. The membership of the committee includes representa- 

 tives of educational institutions, the Bureau of Standards, and 

 several large industrial establishments. The work was divided 

 among the members, two dealing with its metallographic 

 features, two with machines for testing, two with mechanics of 

 the materials involved, and one with a survey of the subject 

 from the standpoint of the steel manufacturer. The results 

 already obtained promise much for the future success of this 

 undertaking. 



Scores of other illustrations of effective cooperation in re- 

 search might be given, especially in astronomy, where each of 

 the 32 committees of the International Astronomical Union 

 (p. 412 ff.) is constituted for the purpose of organizing coopera- 

 tive investigations. In spite of the length of this list of com- 

 mittees, it cannot be said that astronomy offers any unique 

 possibilities of joint action. The division of the sky among 

 widely separated observers is only a single means of coopera- 

 tion, which may be paralleled in geology, paleontology, geog- 

 raphy, botany, zoology, meteorology, geodesy, terrestrial mag- 

 netism and other branches of geophysics, and in many other 

 departments of science. Most of the larger problems of physics 

 and chemistry, though open to study in any laboratory, could 

 be attacked to advantage by cooperating groups. In fact, it 

 may be doubted whether research in any field of science or its 

 applications would not benefit greatly by some form of coopera- 

 tive attack. 



As for the fear of central control, and of interference with 

 personal liberty and individual initiative, which has been enter- 

 tained by some men of science, it certainly is not warranted by 

 the facts. Cooperative research should always be purely 

 voluntary, and the development of improved methods of obser- 



