414 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. I., No. 15. 



aud in those of the last few daj's. Finallj-, 

 after a good deal of agitation, a new sj'stem 

 of regulations for the mathematical tripos ex- 

 aminations, to go into effect after Januarj^, 

 1882, was made and published in 1879. By 

 these new rules, the whole examination is made 

 to consist of three parts of three days each. 

 The examination in part I., which is to begin 

 on the Mondaj' before the first Sunday in June, 

 will be confined to Euclid, arithmetic, ordinary' 

 algebra, and the first three sections of New- 

 ton's Principia, with the elementarj' parts of 

 trigonometrj-, geometrical conies, statics, dj^- 

 namics, hydrostatics, optics, and astronomy. 

 As Mr. Besant remarks in the ' Students' guide 

 to the Uuiversitj' of Cambridge,' however, 

 "the word 'elementary' simplj' impHes that 

 the subjects iu question are to be developed, 

 as far as they can be, without the aid of the 

 elaborate machinery- supplied by modern anal- 

 3'sis. In other words, the methods of pure 

 geometry and ordinary algebra and trigonome- 

 try are to be the onlj' instruments emploj'ed ; 

 and the effect of this restriction is, in many 

 cases, to make the treatment of mathematical 

 ideas more difficult, and to call out a more 

 direct and powerful application of intellectual 

 energj'." From the results of this examina- 

 tion, the moderators and examiners are to 

 publish a list of persons who have acquitted 

 themselves so as to deserve mathematical hon- 

 ors ; and these persons oulj* are to be admitted 

 to the examination iu part II., which is to 

 begin on the Mondaj- after the second Sunday 

 in June, and to cover algebra, trigonometry^ 

 (plane and spherical), theorj' of equations, 

 easier parts of aualytic geometry (plane and 

 solid, including curvature of curves and sur- 

 faces), differential and integral calculus, easier 

 parts of differential equations, statics (includ- 

 ing elementary propositions on attractions and 

 potentials), hydrostatics, dynamics of a parti- 

 cle, easier parts of rigid dynamics, easier parts 

 of optics, and spherical astronomj'. 



The moderators and examiners are then to 

 publish a list of the candidates, taking into 

 account parts I. and II., and arranging the 

 men, in the order of merit, into three classes 

 of wranglers, senior optimes, and junior op- 

 times. The wranglers only are to be admitted 

 to the examination in part III., which is to 

 begin on the first Monday of the next January, 

 and to cover the advanced parts of the follow- 

 ing subjects : — 



Group A. ■ — Differeutial equations ; calculus 

 of variations ; higher algebra ; theorj' of equa- 

 tions ; plane and solid analytical geometrj' ; 

 finite differences ; higher definite integrals ; el- 



liptic functions ; theorj' of chances, including 

 combination of observations. 



Group B. ■ — ■ Laplace's and alHed functions ; 

 attractions ; higher dynamics ; Newton's Prin- 

 cipia, bk. I., sects, ix., xi. ; lunar and plane- 

 tary theories ; figure of the earth ; precession 

 and nutation. 



Group C. — Hj'drodyn amies, including waves 

 and tides ; sound ; phj^sical optics ; vibrations 

 of strings and bars ; elastic solids. 



Group D. — Expression of functions hj se- 

 ries or integrals, involving sines aud cosines ; 

 thermodynamics ; conduction of heat ; elec- 

 tricity ; magnetism. 



Taking into account the examination in part 

 III. only, the moderators and examiners are 

 to publish in three divisions, each division ar- 

 ranged alphabetically, a list of those examined 

 and approved ; but tliej' may place in the first 

 division any candidate who has shown eminent 

 proficiencj' in anj one of the groups given 

 above. 



It will be seen that this arrangement limits 

 the sharpest rivahy to the work in the more 

 elementary subjects, aud taxes the strength of 

 the students far less than the old sj'stem did. 



The first examination under the new rules 

 was held last June. Ou the work of the first 

 six days, tweutj'-nine men were placed upon 

 the list of wranglers. Of these, sixteen offered 

 themselves for examination in part III. iu 

 Januarj' of this j-ear. Fourteen of these were 

 approved, and the names published in the three 

 divisions provided for. In the first division 

 were placed those who, in last June's list of 

 wranglers, were 1st, 2d, 3d, 6th, and 22d. 

 In the second division the 1 7th wrangler stood 

 alone. In the third division were the 4th, 

 7th, two bracketed as 8th, 9th, 16th, 18th, 

 and 19th in the wrangler's list. It will be 

 seen that the last examination changed the 

 order of the names very materiall3^ 



The following list of names, made out from 

 an examination of the honor-lists since 1747, 

 will show that a large number of well-known 

 men have taken high rank in the tripos. An 

 asterisk means, that, in the additional exami- 

 nation for the Smith's prize, the person took 

 first place ; a dagger is attached to the names 

 of those who took second place. 



