Apeil 15, 1910] 



SCIENCE 



591 



On the Relative Numbers of Positive and Negative 

 Ions present in Atmospheric Air: A. Thomson. 



Note on the Cause of the Discrepancy ietween the 

 Observed and Calculated Temperatures after 

 Expansion in the Space between the Plates of a 

 Wilson Expansion Apparatus: R. A. MiT.t.tkan, 



E. K. Chapman and H. W. Moody. 



Some New Values of the Positive Potentials as- 

 sumed by Metals under the Influence of Ultra- 

 violet Light: R. A. Mit.t.tkan. 



The Second Order Effect of Ether Drift on the 

 Intensity of Radiation: A. Teowbeidge and C. 

 B. Mendenhaix. 



The Rotary Dispersion of Quarts at —190° C. 

 and Observations at other Temperatures : F. A. 



MODBY. 



The Pyrheliometrio Scale and the Solar Constant: 



0. G. Abbot. 

 Single-line Series in the Spectra of Ga and 8r: 



F. A. Saundees. 



The Relative Motion of the Earth and the Ether: 

 H. A. Wilson. 



A Study of the Multiple Reflection of Short Elec- 

 tric Waves between two Reflecting Surfaces: 

 L. E. Woodman and H. W. Webb. 



A Hot Air Engine Indicator Diagram: A. G. 

 Websteb. 



The Nitrogen Thermometer from Zinc to Pal- 

 ladium: A. L. Day and R. R. Sosman. 



On Calcium Clouds in Space: Dr. Stifee (pre- 

 sented by Peroival Lowell ) . 



The Second Postulate of Relativity: R. C. Tolman. 



The Terminal Velocity of Fall of Small Spheres 

 in Air: John Zeleny and L. W. McKeehan. 

 (By title.) 



The Present State of our Knowledge concerning 

 Permanent Magnetism: A. A. Knowlton. (By 

 title.) 



The Heat of Dilution of Aqueous Salt Solution: 

 F. L. Bishop. (By title.) 



Vranous and Uranyl Bands — A Very Fine Band 

 Absorption Solution Spectrum: W. W. Stbong. 

 (By title.) 



Insulation of Observatory Domes for Protecting 

 Telescopes and other Apparatus against Ex- 

 tremes of Beat and Cold: David Todd. (By 

 title.) 



On the Free Vibrations of a Lecher System: F. C. 

 Blake and Ghas. Sheaed. (By title.) 



Thunderstorm Electricity: W. W. Steong. (By 

 title.) 



Alteed D. Cole, 



Secretary 

 Ohio State Univeesity 



SECTION L— EDUCATION 



The Boston meeting of Section L was unusually 

 successful. The attendance varied from 50 to 110. 

 The policy of the section of devoting each session 

 to a single topic was again carried out. The 

 section committee has voted to continue this 

 policy for future meetings. President A. Ross 

 Hill, of the University of Missouri, was elected 

 the vice-president of the section and Professor 

 John Dewey, of Columbia University, was elected 

 member of the sectional committee. 



Probably the most important contribution to 

 the meeting was the address of the retiring vice- 

 president, Professor Dewey, on " Science as 

 Method and as Information." With great clear- 

 ness it was pointed out what results follow from 

 considering science merely as information and 

 from teaching it accordingly. Only when science 

 is studied as a universal method of obtaining 

 knowledge will science take the important place 

 that is now awaiting it in educational work. The 

 paper has been printed in full in Science for 

 January 28. 



The first session of the section was devoted to 

 a discussion of the topic, " Formulated Scientific 

 Problems in General Education." The first 

 speaker was Professor Edward L. Thorndike, of 

 Columbia University. 



He showed that a scientific treatment of edu- 

 cation demands means of measuring the facta, 

 changes and relations with which education is 

 concerned. Some useful units of measure and 

 scales for measuring are furnished by physiology, 

 psychology and allied sciences. But in such eases 

 as amount of knowledge of a language, degree of 

 ability in English composition, quality of hand- 

 writing, improvement in manners or morals and 

 the like students of education should devise units 

 of measure and arrange scales for teachers. Any 

 product or response or quality which varies in 

 amount can be measured even though it is com- 

 plex, subtle and subject to an enormous effect 

 from the personal equations of observers. 



The desiderata in a scale for the measurement 

 of educational facts are: (1) that the points on 

 the scale be defined with exactitude, (2) that a 

 difference of one should have the same value no 

 matter where on the scale it occurs, (3) that the 

 values attached to points on the scale should all 

 refer to a defined and useful zero, preferably one 

 signifying no amount whatever of the fact in 

 question, and (4) that the scale be convenient 



