i90
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION
ists in general because they can spend a m~mbcrof pleasant cvenings with it.
APRIL,1832
to these individuals for thcir judgment the authors prepared lists for each science based on all items that appeared twenty TaNNm L DAVIS per cent. or more times in a master list compiled from "(I) requirements set up by the state department of education, List of Essential Apparatus for Use in (2) from laboratory manuals for a selected High-School Sciences. T. C. HOLY, list of textbooks in cach scientific field, Rcsearch Associate, and D. H. SUTTON, and (3) from occasional bulletins disResearch Assistant, Bureau of I?duca- tributed by the United States Office of tional Research, The Ohio State Uni- Education." These check lists were sent versity, Columbus, Ohio. Monograph to a selected list of teachers and superNo. 12, Bureau of Educational Re- visors of science in various states. Each search Monographs. The Ohio Statc individual was requested to indicate the University, Columbus, Ohio, 1931. items considered essential, desirable, or vii 32 pp. lG.5 X 24 cm. $07.5 unnecessary. He was also requested to The purpose of t h ~ smonograph is to add such items which had been omitted, prepare a list of essential apparatus for but which he thought necessary, and also general science, biology, physics, and to change the number of pieces of a given item of apparatus if nccessary. chemistry. These sciences arc selected On the basis of the returns received because thesc are the dominant science courses now offered in the secondary from individuals in thirty-three states, each item in each list was rated in order schools. I n preparina. these lists the authors of importance. Each list of science apparatus is divided into two groups; attempted: "(1) to develop a list ol the first, containing items for use of the apparatus essential in teaching a class oi twenty-four pupils in cach of the m a j o ~ individual pupil, and the second, general apparatus for rhe use of the instructor high-school scicnces with the individual or a group of students, in demonstrating items arranged upon the basis of their 1. erpenments not designed as individual relative importance; (2) to furnish some experiments. index of the cost of providing the essential Lists of individual and general apitems of laboratory apparatus in each of four major sciences; (3) to show instances paratus are given for each of the four dominant sciences. Each list shows the of overlapping among the items or apparatus necessary to conduct a class number of each item necessary for a class of the indicated size in general science, of twenty-four -pupils arranged in order af importance. Average total price, biology, physics, and chemistry." The authors indicate that "the more cumulative total price, and overlapping logical method of securing lists of ap- with items in other lists are also given. paratus would be to determine first the The scope of this study may be illusexperimenti ncccssary to attain the trated by the two lists prepared for chemobjectives in each science, but since istry. T h e lists are based on the judgscience instructors d o not as yet agree ments of 224 individuals from 33 states. upon the objectives, this method could Of this number, I40 were high-school not be followed. The next method, instructors, 68 heads of departments or which seemed feasible, was to secure the supervisors in high school, and 16 college judgments of teachers and supervisors instructors. The list of individual apon the apparatus necessary for each paratus contains 80 items with a total science." cost of 8397.44 while the general list I n order to secure the data necessary contains 75 items with a total cost of for the check lists which were submitted $588.96. The lists have been carefully
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V ~ L9,. No. 4
741
RECENT BOOKS
prepared and if properly interpreted should be of value in furnishing a basis for the selection of the most essential items. The list would have been of consider. ably more value if the most essential items had been indicated by an asterisk. As the lists now stand, considerable unnecessary duplication is bound to occur if these arc used by the less ex. perienced science instructors or if used bj. individuals, such as purchasing agents, who may not be acquainted with the apparatus needed for sciencp teaching. For instance, the list of apparatus for the use of the individual student includes Bunsen burners, 4-07.. and 8 . 0 ~ .alcohol lamps. If Bunsen burners are ordered, the alcohol lamps will not be necessary. Ten different kinds of rubber stoppers are listed but the authors do not indicate the items they are to be used for. 1t would be better to say: ..Rubber stopper No. 6 to fit 300 cc. pyrex flask." If some of the flasks were omitted, then the user would know which stoppers to omit. Five kinds of flasks are indicated as follows: 500 cc. flask, 250 cc. flask, 250 cc. Erlenmeyer flask, 125 cc. ~ r l e n meyer flask, 125 cc. flat-bottomed p y r a flask. All these are not necessary, and specifications are not definite enough. I t would be better to indicate the item as flask, Erlenmeyer, 250 cc. pyrex t o take NO. 6 rubber stopper. TO make the list of any value, each item should he specified as definitely as possible. Such spe&. cations are necessary to insure a good grade of science equipment. If competing concerns are required t o quote on items of like specifications; usually there is not much difference in the quotations of the various bidders. The authors state, "that cumulative prices are given in each list because the writers thought this information would be valuable for those school districts in which fundswill n o t ~ e r m ithe t ~urchaseof the entire list. These cumulative figures will enable the school officers to readily determine where the list must be cut."
Some of these school officers may interpret this list to mean that about $1000 will be necessary for a class of 24 in chemistry exclusive of the necessary laboratory furniture. If t h a t were true, I am of the opinion that many schools would not introduce a course in chemistry. Again if $200 were available for a class of twelvc pupils, just how much should be spent for the use of the student and just how much from the general list. Suppose that i t was decided to use about a100 for student equipment, would the instructor then go down the list to items with a total price of %ZOO and omit all those items below this point? If this were done, such items ascobalt glass, graduates, platinum loops, and burets would be omitted, and from the general list such items as retorts, hydrometers, and lead dishes. A supplementary series of lists should he prepared for each science which would show the items most essential and also show the least number of each item that could be used. Additional lists would shov the items to be added as the equipment is built up over a number of years. AS the li* stands now i t may be grossly misinterpreted. One of the greatest drawbacks to the introduction of the various sciences in the small high schools has been the large amount of money considered essential in order to secure the necessary equipment.
J. H. JENSSN THBNo%~"eaN NORMAL A N D INDUSTRIAL SEBOOL AsenoesN. Sorrn. D*ror*
MISCELLANEOUS
PUBLICATIONS
The Practice of Spectrum Analysis with Hilger Instruments, Including a Note on the Various Types of Emission 'pecha. by F. TwyMilN, F. Inst. P., F.R.S. Fifth edition. Adam Ltd., London, "pp. + PP' Bibliography. l5 25 Cm' net. This small booklet concerns itself with the use of spectroscopic instruments, particularly with reference to their appli-
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