262 



NATURE 



[December 5, 1918 



survey available, the present part i. of the memoir 

 deals mainly with the extent and character ol our 

 chief resources available. The author can be 

 assured a particular welcome for part ii., dealing 

 with further resources, and discussing the results 

 <il other important laboratory and works tests. 



The sketch-maps are <>f interest, but in the chief 

 of them, showing the location of the main British 

 resources of refractory sands in relation to the 

 metallurgical areas, it may be pointed out that 

 such important iron-producing areas as the W est 

 Coast of Scotland, Frodingham, Workington, and 

 Brymbo have been omitted. W. J. R. 



GOADS FOR THE PHYSICS TEACHER. 

 I Calendar of Leading Experiments. By William 



S. Franklin and Barry Macnutt. Pp. viii + 210. 



(South Bethlehem, Pa. : Franklin, Macnutt, and 



Charles, 1918.) Price 2.50 dollars. 



READERS of Prof. Franklin's book, "Bill's 

 School and Mine," will open the present 

 volume with zest, and their anticipation of enjoy- 

 ment will be increased by the remark on the title- 

 page : "The authors are teachers, and they con- 

 sider teaching to be the greatest of fun ; but they 

 never yet have been helped in their work by any- 

 thing they have ever read concerning their pro- 

 fession." Bacon mentioned a "calendar of lead- 

 ing experiments for the better interpretation of 

 Nature " as one of the things most needful for 

 the advancement of learning, and it would seem 

 that the authors, having failed to find assistance 

 with regard to physical lecture demonstrations, 

 have boldly set about filling the gap. Perhaps this 

 method of statement is a little unfair to the excel- 

 lent volume published under the auspices of the 

 French Physical Society ! The authors state that 

 their book has to do primarily with class-room 

 experiments in physics; secondarily it is intended 

 to set forth the possibilities of an extended course 

 in elementary dynamics, including the dynamics 

 of wave motion. The writer is of opinion that 

 most teachers will find the most stimulating- part 



01 the volume to be the humorous interludes, 

 criticisms, and questions with which the book is 

 filled from beginning to end. " So many things 

 in teaching are funny, from our point of view. 1 ' 

 " Precision of thought is not dependent upon pre- 

 cision of measurement." "Science, even in its 

 elements, presents serious difficulties." The fol- 

 lowing problem was given to a group of engineer- 

 ing students: — "A cart moves due northwards at 

 a velocity of 5J ft. per sec. A man pushes verti- 

 cally dow nwards on the cart with a force of 200 lb., 

 and a mule pulls due northwards on the cart with 

 a force of 50 lb. Find the rate at which the man 

 does work, and the rate at which the mule does 

 work." In answer to the question 44 per cent. 

 of the young men found that the man developed 



2 h.p. and the mule developed A h.p. "Truly, 

 mule-driving would be strenuous labour for our 

 pampered college students '. 



Prof. Franklin is a formidable controversialist, 

 but one statement by the authors is certainly open 

 NO. 2562, VOL. 102] 



to question. "It is conceivable that the atomic 

 conceptions of electrical phenomena may some 

 time come to be important in everyday life and 

 in everyday engineering, but that time is certainly 

 not yet" (p. 117). Putting aside Faraday's laws 

 of electrolysis, the Coolidge tube and the therm- 

 ionic appliances used in wireless telegraph) can 

 SCarcel) be ignored at the present time. 



To the experiments described it is impossible to 

 refer at length ; some are old, many are new . 

 "The best experiments are those that are homely 

 and simple, and suggestive rather than informing. 

 The physics lecturer should pull ideas out of 

 things like a prestidigitateur. " The authors sug- 

 gest that colleges and technical schools should 

 have fully equipped "Visitors' Laboratories of 

 Physics," and every member of the department, 

 including Clarence and Pete, may take a share of 

 the fun of edifying visitors. "The entire equip- 

 ment need cost no more than four or five thou- 

 sand dollars." Let our millionaires please note! 



A book for physics teachers to read and ponder 

 over. H. S. Alien. 



APPLIED ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY. 

 Treatise on Applied Analytical Chemistry. By 

 Prof. V. Villavecchia and others. Translated 

 by T. H. Pope. Vol. ii. Pp. xv + 536. (Lon- 

 don : J. and A. Churchill, 1918.) Price 25.S-. 

 net. 



IT is pleasant to have in English a work like the 

 present, emanating from Italian chemists. 

 Such a book would be welcome at any time, but 

 is especially so just now, when Italy is allied with 

 us against a foe who has grossly misused his 

 knowledge of chemical science. 



Prof. Villavecchia's treatise deals with the 

 analysis of foodstuffs and the principal industrial 

 products, including, therefore, both organic and 

 inorganic substances. As regards general scope 

 and design, the book is of an intermediate char- 

 acter : it is not a mere summary, but neither is 

 it so comprehensive as works like those of Allen 

 or Post and Neumann. It does not, for example, 

 treat of alkaloids, drugs, or pharmaceutical 

 chemicals. 



The present volume (ii.) is chiefly concerned 

 with organic products. About one-half of the 

 matter is devoted to foodstuffs, and the remainder 

 to various industrial commodities, including 

 essential oils, varnishes, rubber, tanning materials, 

 inks, leather, colouring matters, and textili 

 articles. 



A very good selection of modern analytical 

 methods has been made. The directions for carry- 

 ing them out are clear and concise. Difficulties 

 are pointed out, and the limitations of particular 

 processes indicated. Methods arc not merely out- 

 lined, but reasonably full descriptions are given, 

 allowing of determinations being made with the 

 requisite certainty and precision by am competent 

 operator. 



On looking through the various sections one 

 finds little to criticise, ind much that leaves a 



