VOL. 6. No. 9
Dn~wlNcsPORSTIMULATING INTEREST
1523
TFfE USE OF DRAWINGS FOR STIMULATING INTEREST IN LABORATORY TECHNIC
FREDF. DIWOKY AND JOHN R . LEWIS, UNIVERSITY OP WISCONSIN, MADISON, WISCONSIN The men in charge of general chemistry a t the University of Wisconsin1 have long stressed the im~ortanceoflaboratory technic. One rule that has been rigidly enforced for the past several years requires that any special apparatus built by the student must be approved by an instructor before the experiment may be performed. As a result, instructors cannot walk casually through the laboratory without "passing judgment" on the apparatus being used. T h e a u t h o r s felt t h a t i t should be possible to find a way of stimulating students' interest in laboratory technic so they, too,wouldhe more critical of their own workand the work of others. With this idea in mind, a number of drawinas, illustrating incorrect set-ups, were made andposted (one each week) on the general chemistry bulletin hoard. In some cases an attempt was made to include all the glaring mistakes thathadbeen madeby students as we had observed them. In others, less obvious mistakes were shown. Figure 4 showing the distillation of the alcoholwater mixture belongs to the first group while Figure 5 illus1
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FIGURE 2
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Prof. J. H. Walton and Prof. F. C. Krauskopf.
3 FIGURE
trating the preparation of hydrogen sulfide belongs t o the latter group. A few representative drawings are reproduced here for purposes of illustration. Discussion The authors believe that interest has been stimulated in laboratory technic by t h e s e drawings. This belief is based on the fact that they were examined by practically every student enrolled in the course. It was not uncommon to see six or eight students congregated about the bulletin board, discussing the correct and incorrect features of the latest drawing posted. It was interesting to note that older students, including graduates, also enjoyed them. The authors plan to add some drawings which will be of special interest to these advanced students. Teachers who may wish photographic copies of these drawings should communicate with the authors.
