Scientific Serials

Abstract

The Mathematical Gazette, No. 4 (Macmillan).—This is the first number of the enlarged series. We are glad to find that the support accorded to the first year's issue has been sufficient to warrant this enlargement; but to make the Gazette a success, and not a drag upon the funds of the Association, it is imperatively necessary that a much larger measure of support should be rendered by the general body of mathematical teachers. The opening paper is one on algebra in schools, which was read before the Association at its annual meeting in January of this year. In this article the author, Mr, Heppel, drawing upon his wide experience as a “coach,” states that when pupils have come to him he has found that the work in algebra has usually to be done all over again. The reason of this appears to him to be “the ever-growing divergence there is between the conception of the nature and objects of algebra that dominates school teaching and the conception that regulates the application of algebra to more advanced mathematics.” Many of the suggestions are likely to be useful, and we commend them to the. notice of our brethren in the craft of teaching.—Mr. T. Wilson contributes a note on mathematics for astronomy and navigation, in which he suggests that the elements of spherical trigonometry might occupy a more prominent place in school teaching than they do, and to cover all ages he winds up with, “let no one despair that he is too old for mathematics.”—Mr. Rouse adds a second chapter to his previous interesting article on conies.—“Some old text-books” is a review of John Ward's “The Young Mathematician's Guide”(1747), by Mr. J. H. Hooker, which brings before us matter that was served up for the food of students in the time of “good Queen Anne.” The rest of the number is taken up with more extended articles (than before) entitled notes, solutions, new questions, and titles of new books. These latter pages should be of general interest, as they are likely to be useful both to students and teachers.