112 Scientific Intelligence. 



be differences of opinion among teachers of analytical chemistry 

 in regard to some of the details of the operations, as well as the 

 choice of methods, and the selection of the exercises for practice. 

 The book under consideration, therefore, may not be satisfactory 

 in all respects to every teacher, although there is no doubt that it 

 presents a very satisfactory course of work for students in the 

 subject. h. l. w. 



6. The Constitution of Matter ; by Joseph S. Ames. Pp. x, 

 242, Boston, 1913 (Houghton, Mifflin Co.).— In this book is pre- 

 sented the subject-matter of a course of six lectures delivered by 

 the author at the Northwestern University, in February, 1913, on 

 the Norman W. Harris Foundation. Some idea of the ground 

 covered and of the sequence of material discussed may be obtained 

 from the following titles of the i-espective lectures: — " I. General 

 Properties of Matter ; Mass. II. Corpuscles and Atoms ; Electri- 

 cal Mass. III. Radio-activity ; Gravitation. IV. Radiation ; 

 Formation of Molecules ; Elasticity. V. Properties of Metals ; 

 Thermionics ; Magnetism. VI. Models of Atoms ; Conclusions." 

 Since the majority of the audiences consisted of people unfamiliar 

 with both the facts and the methods of science, the manner of 

 presentation is necessarily elementary and non-mathematical. 

 Although the task of preparing such a series of lectures under the 

 given conditions was undoubtedly a very difficult one, neverthe- 

 less the text is unqualifiedly accurate and unusually lucid, which 

 is just what would have been expected from the master hand 

 which wrote it. If the general reader would acquire his knowl- 

 edge of scientific subjects from books of this reliable type instead 

 of from newspapers and magazines, he would obtain correct 

 impressions and perspective and would be more than repaid in 

 efficiency for the extra time and thought expended. h. s. it. 



7. Mechanics of Particles and Rigid Bodies ; by J. Prescott. 

 Pp. viii, 535, with 219 figures. London, 1913 (Longmans, Green 

 and Co.). — The motives which actuated the publication of this 

 volume are clearty stated in the following sentences which are 

 quoted from the author's preface : " The people whose needs 

 were most considered when this book was being written were stu- 

 dents aiming for a pass degree at a British university." "The 

 booic covers, I think, all that they will require in the subject of 

 applied mechanics except hydrostatics." " The book has a utili- 

 tarian bias which should make it useful to the engineering stu- 

 dent, and I hope, at the same time, interesting and live to the 

 science student." 



The subject-matter is divided into three Parts entitled respec- 

 tively : "Statics" (239 pages), "Dynamics of a Particle" (161 

 pages), and "Dynamics of a Rigid Body" (120 pages). The 

 Calculus is used throughout and an appendix on conies immedi- 

 ately follows the last chapter. A special feature of the book con- 

 sists in the relatively large number (607) of problems for solution 

 by the student, which are collected in groups at the ends of the 

 chapters to which they pertain. Many of these exercises have 

 been taken from " Honours," B.Sc, and other examination papers, 



