124 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLATCI. No. 1205 



tion of the atomic ■weights of a considerable 

 mimber of elements with less consumption of 

 time and in most cases with greater accuracy 

 than the chemical methods that have been 

 used hitherto. 



C. W. Kanolt 

 Bdeeau of Standards, 

 Washington, J). C. 



THE MATHEMATICAL ASSOCIATION 

 OF AMERICA 



The third annual meeting of the Mathematical 

 Association of America was held at the University 

 of Chicago on Thursday and Friday, December 

 27-28, 1917, in conjunction with the Chicago Sec- 

 tion of the American Mathematical Society. There 

 were 119 in attendance at this meeting, including 

 93 members and one institutional representative. 

 The program is given herewith: 



Thursday 



The graph of f(x) in line-coordinates for com- 

 plex numbers, Professor A. F. Frumvelleb, Mar- 

 quette University. 



On the generalization of the witch and the ds- 

 soid, Professor F. H. Hodge, Franklin College. 



Fermat's method of infinite descent, Professor 

 W. H. BussEY, University of Minnesota. 



On the disciplinary and applied values of mathe- 

 matical study. Professor C. N. Moore, University 

 of Cincinnati. 



On the content of a second course in calculus. 

 Professor E. J. Moulton, Northwestern Univer- 

 sity. 



Address: Descriptive geometry and its merits as 

 a collegiate as well as an engineering subject, 

 Professor W. H. Eoever, Washington University. 



Brief discussions by Professor F. Higbee, depart- 

 ment of descriptive geometry and drawing. State 

 University of Iowa; Professor A. V. Miliar, de- 

 partment of drawing, University of Wisconsin; 

 Professor Arnold Emeh, department of mathemat- 

 ics. University of Illinois; Mr. Willard W. Erme- 

 Ung, instructor in descriptive geometry. Crane Jun- 

 ior College, Chicago; Mr. W. F. Willard, instructor 

 in drawing, Carl Schurz High School, Chicago. 

 General discussion. 



Friday 



Report of standing committees. 



Committee on Mathematical Eequirements. 



Scientific investigations of the committee. Pro- 

 fessor A. R. Crathorne, University of Illinois. 



The worJc of a committee representing the Cen- 

 tral Association of Science and Mathematics Teach- 

 ers, Mr. J. A. Foberg, Crane Junior College, Chi- 

 cago. 



Committee on Libraries. 



A report of this committee was published in the 

 October Monthly. 



Discussion opened by Professor H. E. Slaught, 

 University of Chicago. 



Committee on Mathematical Dictionary. 



Preliminary report by the chairman, Professor 

 E. E. Hedrick, University of Missouri. 



Committee on Annals of Mathematics. Report 

 by Professor E. H. Moore, University of Chicago. 



Committee on Bureau of Information. Report 

 by Professor J. B. Shaw, University of Illinois. 



Joint session of the Mathematical Association 

 of America and the American Mathematical So- 

 ciety. 



Retiring address of the chairman of the Chicago 

 Section of the Society: A conspectus of the mod- 

 ern theory of divergent series, by Professor W. B. 

 Ford, University of Michigan. 



Address on behalf of the association: On a defi- 

 nition of the real number system by means of infi- 

 nite decimals, by Professor L. D. Ames, Univer- 

 sity of Missouri. 



Seventy-three attended the joint dinner of the 

 society and the association at the Quadrangle Club 

 on Thursday evening, and a good number of the 

 members attended the dinner of the American 

 Association of University Professors on Friday 

 evening. 



At the annual business meeting amendments 

 were adopted according to which the office of man- 

 aging editor is divided into those of editor and 

 manager, and the ofiS.ce of secretary-treasurer is to 

 be fiUed through appointment by the council rather 

 than through election by the association. Twenty- 

 four persons and three institutions were elected to 

 membership. The report of the secretary-treasurer 

 showed that the association is appropriating a sub- 

 stantial subvention to the Annals of Mathematics 

 in return for the addition to each volume of this 

 journal of one himdred pages or more of articles 

 of an expository or historical nature; that one 

 hundred dollars has been set aside to cover some 

 necessary expense in the work of the National 

 Committee on Mathematical Requirements; that 

 the year's business shows a gain of approximately 

 one hundred dollars. 



The following are the officers for 1918: 



E. V. Huntington, Harvard University, Presi- 

 dent. 



D. N. Lehmer, University of California; J. W. 

 Young, Dartmouth College, Vice-presidents. 



W. D. Cairns, Oberlin College, Secretary-Treas- 

 urer. 



Committee on Publications: W. H. Bdssey, Uni- 

 versity of Minnesota; R. D. Carmichael, Univer- 

 sity of Illinois, editor; H. E. Slaught, University 

 of Chicago, manager. 



Members of the council (for three years) : 

 Florian Cajori, Colorado College; Elizabeth B. 

 Cowley, Vassar College; G. A. Miller, Univer- 

 sity of Illinois; E. T. WiLCZyNSKi, University of 

 Chicago. W. D. Cairns, 



Secretary-Treasurer 



