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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXVIII. No. 714 



tions of the first degree may have great 

 difSeulty with problems involving equa- 

 tions of the first degree because he has not 

 learned to state the problems in mathe- 

 matical language. So the student who 

 begins electrical work finds certain prob- 

 lems containing known and unknown 

 quantities, but not yet expressed in mathe- 

 matical terms. Now I can not believe that 

 it is the duty of the professor of mathe- 

 matics to teach the student to express prob- 

 lems in the various branches of engineer- 

 ing in the form of equations or other 

 mathematical terms. In order to do this 

 it would be necessary for him to under- 

 stand all the various branches of engineer- 

 ing and it is manifestly impossible for 

 him to do this. The professor of civU 

 engineering understands the problems of 

 that subject and he should show the stu- 

 dent in his department how to express 

 these problems in such terms that the stu- 

 dent can deal with them mathematically. 

 The same may be said of each of the de- 

 partments of engineering. When the pro- 

 fessors of engineering have taught their 

 students to state the problems of their own 

 departments in mathematical language, 

 then the student who has had the course 

 in mathematics ought to be able to solve 

 the problems, and if he can not he has not 

 been taught his mathematics thoroughly or 

 so much time has elapsed since he studied 

 the subject that he has forgotten some 

 parts of it. 



Again, I believe that the professor of 

 engineering should ascertain in a general 

 way how mathematics is being taught in 

 his institution and in just what form the 

 student is using certain terms so that he 

 may express his own problems in a way 

 familiar to the student. If, for instance, 

 in calculus the mathematical department 

 has been using derivations, the professors 

 of engineering in writing their problems 

 should use differential coefficients and not 



attempt to express problems in terms of 

 differentials. I know from experience that 

 many professors of engineering do not do 

 this and their students are confused by a 

 difference of terms and not by a lack of 

 knowledge of the subject. It is evident 

 that the professors of engineering must 

 conform to the methods of the department 

 of mathematics because the department of 

 mathematics can use but one method while 

 the five or more departments of engineer- 

 ing might have several different methods. 

 It is obvious, then, that for the sake of 

 simplicity one method must be used and 

 that method must be the method of the 

 department of mathematics. 



I also believe that the professor of 

 mathematics should occasionally confer 

 with the professors of engineering in order 

 to find out from them just what mathe- 

 matical subjects engineering students are 

 weak in and what subjects it is especially 

 desirable to have them well trained in and 

 to see that his students are taught these 

 things. Friendly conferences between the 

 departments are of great value and should 

 be encouraged by both the mathematicians 

 and the engineers. 



By Clabence A. Waldo, Professor of 

 Mathematics, Purdue University. 

 In the table of hours for mathematics 

 in the various institutions cited by Pro- 

 fessor Townsend, the largest total stands 

 against Purdue. Also a whole semester is 

 assigned to trigonometry. Both of these 

 conditions are in a measure due to the fact 

 that we have recently passed through a 

 transitional period in which for engineers 

 solid geometry has been relegated to the 

 secondary schools. The first semester was 

 formerly divided between solid geometry 

 and trigonometry. Now it is wholly given 

 to the latter, while the second semester is 

 set aside to college algebra. Experience 

 shows that for the ordinary student coUege 



