To the Editor: In your May, 1947, issue there is given a mnemonic to aid in the remembrance of Maxn-ell's four thermodynamic relations. These are :
There is another mnemonic-the source of which I cannot recall-which uses the word sportive. Let us underline the letters S, P, T, V, as shown 8 _P 0 RT I _V E. Then going around the above differentials either clockwise or anticlockwisethese letters S, _P, _T, always occur in the same order. Also if P and Tare on the same level the negative (-) must be used. It is also easy to see what quantity remains constant during the differentiation; e. g., in the first equation, on the left we differentiate with respect to V at constant S and on the right we differentiate with respect to S at constant V. I think these few rules may be of use to the student.
'
. T ~ H N S4Wmr.v
To the Editor: I am compiling a list of publications that are used as chemistry teaching aids in colleges and universities usually for local consumption. They take the form of syllabi, lecture and study outlines, question and answer hooks, problem-solution books, work books, supplementary notes and explanations, laboratory manuals and others. Many of these would be used more widely if more teachers were aware of their existence. They may be mimeographed, lithographed, or otherwise reproduced. I would appreciate it if you would ask your readers to send me the followine information with reeard to anv whibh they may be aciuainted with: author, title, nu&ber of pages, how reproduced (whether mimeographed, etc.), date, where obtained, cost postpaid, and chemistry course for which suitable. H. I. FEINSTEIN ~
are capable of coordinating individual efforts. However, it is apparent that we have not been too successful in producing men of such caliber and as a result there may be unfavorable repercussions in the not far distant future. Because of the lack of suitable candidates, narrow specialists are often promoted to commanding positions to the detriment of all concerned. They are usually unfamiliar with the basic problems involved in handling people or in the various administrative duties. They are unable to grasp the significance of branches of science other than their own, thus making progress in one direction only. They too often avoid contact with subordinates, imagining that this effectively covers up their short-comings. They attempt to enforce their "expert" superiority by resorting to a scientific jargon rhich is unintelligible to laymen and sometimes even to their o~vnprofession. A11 these and similar limitations result in loss of prestige, create dissatisfaction within the organization, and reduce production. The question arises whether the present educational system is capable of meeting realities without becoming entangled in political and economic problems. Can the education dilemma be solved without answering a number of questions which may be too hot to handle? Is e v e j individual capable of absorbing an unlimited amount of knowledge? Should taxpayers be bled for support of pupils of limited abilities? Should the grammar and high-school training be the same for children who will and who will not attend college? Is it possible to force education on everybody without lowering scholastic standards? Are educational institutions in a position to meed out the less capable students without political entanglements unless they are financially independent? Does the educational level interfere with the type of work which a person expects to do in the future? Should the age of school attendance be governed by the desire to reduce the labor market or by scholastic possibilities? Is obligatory school attendance at an early age of help to anybody except to families who want to have some rest from their children? Is it preferable to have fewer but better institutions for higher education than a large number of mediocre ones? Is the overproduction of educated classes an asset to
- rmmtrv? ----".=. a
To the Editor: Progress, and even the survival of our present civilization, depends not only on the existence of numerous specialists but also on persons with a broad field of knowledge who have imagination and vision and who
Is it possible to have equal educational facilities in all parts of the country? Many more questions of this type can be proposed, but is anyone udling to answer them truthfully? (Or V. A. KALICHEVSKY able to do so?!-Editor) BEAUMONT, TEXAS
