Repository: UIHistories Project: Course Catalog - 1894-1895 [PAGE 40]

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COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING.

be valuable, since ideas and methods are quickly supplanted by improved ones, and become useless except as mile-stones of progress. Consequently the most valuable part of this professional knowledge can never be crystallized in text books, but must be drawn from the mental stores of the teacher. GENERAL METHODS OF INSTRUCTION. Whenever suitable text books can be found they are employed, because saving much time in acquiring facts and data, and because such books become doubly valuable for later reference when enriched by notes and additions. But to arouse and awaken the enthusiasm of the student, occasional or stated lectures are necessary, and these are fully illustrated by sketches, diagrams, drawings, and photographs of executed work. They are frequently used in the advanced classes, partly because the deficiency of text books is there most apparent. Additional courses of extended reading are marked out by references to the University library, so that each student may enjoy the greatest possible benefit from the course of instruction. In all courses of study offered by the College, drawing in its manifold forms and uses is made of especial importance both in its application and its modes of execution. COMPUTING APPARATUS. A collection of machines and apparatus for abbreviating computations, and especially for use in the calculation of tables, includes the following instruments: A Thomas's 10-place arithmometer, giving products of numbers to 20 places. This is the largest size manufactured and was imported especially for the University. It is probably as convenient and accurate as any computing machine yet invented. It performs addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, and is particularly useful in calculating or verifying numerical tables. Two Thacher's computing scales, for performing multiplication, division, squaring, and extraction of square root. This instrument is sufficiently accurate for almost all purposes, and can be used more rapidly than the former. An Amsler's polar planimeter for measuring the area of figures of any form, and