The Science and Art of Arithmetic

Abstract

THE authors of this excellent school arithmetic are to be congratulated on having brought their work to a successful termination. In our notice of Part I., which appeared in a former number of NATURE,* we pointed out the principles by which the authors had been guided, and as we believed those principles to be sound, and the authors to have carried them out successfully, we had no hesitation in commending the work as we did. The same good arrangement, ample store of illustration, and copious examples for practice, are to be found in this volume as had place in the first. The fulness with which the elementary portions were treated appeared to us to be a merit rather than a defect. From such wealth of illustration each teacher could select what was most suited to his purpose. In this volume we have more advanced subjects treated in like manner. But an analysis of the contents will give a good idea of the work. Under Part II. we have the subject of Vulgar Fractions clearly treated, with applications to Practice, and a chapter which treats of Proportion, the Chain Rule, Compound Proportion, and Proportional Parts. In Part III. are chapters on Converging Fractions, Decimals with their properties, and several applications to Money, Weights, Measures, &c., the Metric System, Progressions, Interest, Discount, Stocks, Evolution, and a good chapter on Arithmetical Complements. There is also a chapter in which we have Continued Product to a given limit, Compound Interest, Equation of Payments, Complex Decimals, Duodecimals, and International Calculations. At the end of the work are given 250 Miscellaneous Exercises. There is enough here to satisfy any youthful arithmetician, and the methods employed are the “latest out.” The complete work gives ample evidence that it is the composition of men who have given much time and thought to the subject, and have had much tuitional experience. The Science and Art of Arithmetic: Part II. Vulgar Fractions; Part III. Approximate Calculations. By A. Sonnenschein H. A. Nesbitt 260 pp. (London: Whittaker & Co. 1870.)