﻿Notices 
  respecting 
  New 
  Books. 
  203 
  

  

  more 
  attention 
  to 
  discovering 
  better 
  methods 
  of 
  instruction, 
  than 
  

   Professor 
  Perry. 
  The 
  present 
  treatise 
  is 
  therefore 
  tbe 
  result 
  of 
  

   great 
  experience 
  and 
  much 
  experiment 
  in 
  educational 
  method, 
  and 
  

   as 
  such 
  it 
  is 
  addressed 
  to 
  the 
  teacher 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  student 
  of 
  

   the 
  subject. 
  According 
  to 
  the 
  author 
  — 
  and 
  every 
  teacher 
  of 
  any 
  

   experimental 
  science 
  will, 
  doubtless, 
  agree 
  with 
  him 
  — 
  no 
  course 
  of 
  

   instruction 
  in 
  applied 
  mechanics 
  can 
  be 
  considered 
  complete 
  or 
  

   even 
  satisfactory, 
  which 
  does 
  not 
  include 
  a 
  considerable 
  amount 
  of 
  

   laboratory 
  practice. 
  Laboratory 
  work 
  will, 
  however, 
  have 
  a 
  far 
  

   greater 
  educational 
  value 
  if 
  it 
  be 
  performed 
  with 
  apparatus 
  

   possessing 
  such 
  imperfections 
  as 
  are 
  present 
  in 
  actual 
  machinery. 
  

   The 
  student 
  should 
  not 
  only 
  learn 
  the 
  simple 
  laws 
  of 
  mechanics, 
  

   but 
  he 
  ought 
  to 
  investigate 
  for 
  himself 
  how, 
  why, 
  and 
  to 
  what 
  

   extent 
  these 
  simple 
  laws 
  are 
  departed 
  from 
  in 
  practical 
  con- 
  

   trivances. 
  For 
  example, 
  the 
  familiar 
  Atwood's 
  machine 
  should 
  

   be 
  devoid 
  of 
  friction- 
  wheels, 
  and 
  its 
  pulley 
  should 
  be 
  a 
  heavy 
  

   one 
  ; 
  the 
  student 
  will 
  then 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  study 
  and 
  allow 
  for 
  the 
  

   effects 
  of 
  friction, 
  and 
  he 
  will 
  learn 
  much 
  concerning 
  the 
  dynamics 
  

   of 
  rotation. 
  To 
  teachers 
  of 
  physics 
  this 
  may 
  appear 
  at 
  first 
  sight 
  

   quite 
  heterodox, 
  but 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  borne 
  in 
  mind 
  that 
  physical 
  and 
  

   engineering 
  laboratories 
  perform 
  different 
  functions 
  ; 
  in 
  the 
  

   former 
  natural 
  laws 
  are 
  learned 
  and 
  verified, 
  and 
  the 
  physical 
  

   properties 
  of 
  substances 
  are 
  measured, 
  while 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  the 
  

   student 
  is 
  taught 
  the 
  application 
  of 
  these 
  laws 
  and 
  substances 
  

   to 
  the 
  requirements 
  of 
  everyday 
  life. 
  The 
  engineer 
  may 
  therefore 
  

   assume 
  the 
  truth 
  of 
  his 
  formulas; 
  it 
  is 
  ihe 
  duty 
  of 
  the 
  physicist 
  

   and 
  the 
  mathematician 
  to 
  establish 
  and 
  prove 
  them. 
  

  

  The 
  author 
  experienced 
  difficulties 
  in 
  teaching 
  applied 
  mechanics 
  

   on 
  account 
  of 
  his 
  students' 
  ignorance 
  of 
  the 
  rudiments 
  of 
  

   differential 
  and 
  integral 
  calculus, 
  and 
  eventually 
  was 
  obliged 
  to 
  

   include 
  these 
  among 
  the 
  subjects 
  of 
  his 
  course 
  of 
  lectures. 
  We 
  

   know 
  of 
  one 
  college 
  where 
  the 
  same 
  difficulty 
  is 
  felt 
  in 
  connexion 
  

   with 
  the 
  physics 
  course, 
  and 
  doubtless 
  there 
  are 
  other 
  cases. 
  

   Having 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  increasing 
  importance 
  of 
  science 
  subjects 
  

   and 
  of 
  applied 
  mathematics, 
  it 
  appears 
  very 
  desirable 
  that 
  the 
  

   teachers 
  of 
  mathematics 
  in 
  schools 
  should 
  be 
  asked 
  and 
  encouraged 
  

   to 
  alter 
  the 
  order 
  in 
  which 
  their 
  subject 
  is 
  taught, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  give 
  

   an 
  earlier 
  and 
  more 
  prominent 
  place 
  to 
  the 
  elements 
  of 
  the 
  

   calculus. 
  The 
  Science 
  and 
  Art 
  Department 
  might 
  possibly 
  assist 
  

   matters 
  by 
  introducing 
  the 
  calculus 
  into 
  the 
  syllabus 
  of 
  their 
  

   examinations 
  at 
  some 
  stage 
  earlier 
  than 
  the 
  sixth 
  ; 
  the 
  difficulty 
  

   will, 
  however, 
  not 
  be 
  completely 
  removed 
  until 
  those 
  who 
  direct 
  

   school 
  education 
  recognize 
  to 
  a 
  much 
  greater 
  extent 
  the 
  necessity 
  for 
  

   increasing 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  time 
  devoted 
  by 
  the 
  scholars 
  to 
  mathe- 
  

   matical 
  studies. 
  

  

  The 
  subjects 
  treated 
  in 
  the 
  volume 
  cover 
  a 
  wide 
  range, 
  and 
  

   it 
  is 
  full 
  of 
  suggestion 
  both 
  to 
  teacher 
  and 
  student, 
  while 
  the 
  

   characteristic 
  manner 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  author 
  gives 
  ad 
  vice 
  and 
  caution 
  

   seems 
  to 
  bring 
  the 
  reader 
  into 
  personal 
  contact 
  with 
  him, 
  and 
  

   completely 
  distinguishes 
  his 
  treatise 
  from 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  ordinary 
  

   text-books. 
  J. 
  L. 
  H. 
  

  

  