SCIENCE 



A WEEKLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. PUBLISHING THK 



OFFICIAL NOTICES AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION 



FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. 



Editorial Committee : S. Newcomb, Matbematioe ; R. S. Woodwaed, Meohaaios ; E. C. Piukkbinp, 



Astronomy ; T. C. Mbndenhall, Physios ; Iea Rkmsen, Chemistry ; Charles D. Walcott, 



Geoloey ; W. M. Davis, Physiography ; Heney F. Osbobn, PaleoDtology ; W. K. 



Brooks, C. Haet Mebriam, Zoology ; S. H. Scudder, Entomology ; C. E. 



Bessey, N. L. Britton, Botany ; C. S. Minot, Embryology, Histology ; 



H. P. BowDiTCH, Physiology ; William H. Welch, 



PatboloKy : J. McRekn Cattell, Psychology. 



Friday, November 20, 1903. 

 coyTEyrs: 



The Misuse of Physics hy Biologists and Engi- 

 . nveis: Professor \V. S. Franklin 041 



Ueteorology at the British Association: Dr. 

 A. Lawrence Rotcii U67 



Scientific Books: — 



Mann's Manual of Advanced Optics: Pro- 

 fessor G. F. Hull 6(U 



Scientific Journals and Articles 062 



Societies and Acadetnies: — 



The American Physical Society: Professor 

 Ekxest Meuritt. American Mathematical 

 itociety : I'kofessor F. N. Cole ('.i;2 



Discussion and Correspondence: — 



The St. Louis Congress of Arts and Science: 

 Professor John Dewey 005 



Keccnt Zoopaleontology : — 



Additional Discoveries in Egypt; Recent 

 Discoveries in France; South American 

 Mammals; Marsupials and Monotremes; 

 Horses and Man: H. F. 005 



The Endowment of Applied Science at Har- 

 vard University 008 



The American Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Hcienee and Affiliated Societies. . 669 



Scientific yotes and yews 'iOS 



Vnivcrsity and Educational yews 672 



MSS. Intended for publication and books, etc.. inieoded 

 for review Bbould be sent to tbe respoDsible editur fio- 

 feuor J. HcKe^n Cattell, Garrison-on-Hudson, N. . 



THE MISUSE OF PHYSICS BY BIOLOGISTS 

 AND EyoiNEERS.* 



This somewhat informal paper is pre- 

 liminary to a paper which I have in prep- 

 aration on statistical physics. My chief 

 object in presenting this preliminary paper 

 is to call attention to some of the precise 

 notions of thermodynamics and to point 

 out the essential limitations of that subject. 

 Gibbs, for example, raises the question re- 

 peatedly in his writings as to the legitimacy 

 of the thermodynamic discussion of things, 

 such as thermoelectricity, which are asso- 

 ciated necessarily with irreversible pro- 

 cesses. What I have in mind concerning 

 thermodynamics proper and concerning 

 statistical physics is a general point of 

 view which completely elucidates this ques- 

 tion of Gibbs, setting precise limits not only 

 to systematic thermodynamics, but to sj's- 

 tematic physics in the broadest sense, and 

 marking sharp boundaries between sys- 

 tematic physics and what we may call 

 statistical physics. 



A great deal is, I think, to be gained for 

 science at the present time by insisting 

 upon the sharp delimitation of those gen- 

 eral ideas in physics which are related 

 primarily to thermodynamics just as a 

 great deal has been gained in the last half 

 centurj' by the .sharp delimitation of those 

 general ideas which relate primarily to 



* A paper read before the American Physical 

 Society on October 31, 1903. 



