The colored American., 1899-12-09

Prof " ardeT, Discussing the subject
Of Mathematics" and showing its I'm
Uortant relation TO the higher tdu-
cation, spoke in part as follows:
Mankind has been divided into two
classes, the mathematical and The non
mathematical; the former including
but a small proportion. A women
takes the whites of ter eggs, a glass OF
-four, q glass of sugar, "a spoonful OF
baking pOwder-and when the mixture
comes from the oven, it is ''angels
food" When eggs are dear she uses
one: adding 1t with hslf cup of but
ter and a cup of milk to a cup and a
half Of flour and cup OF sugar, With
two spoOnfuls of baking powder, and
the result is lone egg cake" NOW
what are the mathematical relations?
Are the whites of ten eggs equal TO the
white and yOlk Of one? IN sense, they
seem less, for they are used to enrich a
less quantity of -four. But, what of the
milk and butter in lone egg cake?
How many eggs do they represent, IN
their Of enTiching bresdstuff? The in
valuable cook book gives rough and
ready process TO reach certain ends 10y
various means. An accomplished cook
will modify the details, in accordance
resources or special needs.
give US the philosophy of 1t
will show us the smallest
-four that will keep the cake
ng, or give US the extreme
limit OF enrichment and delicacy COM
patiDle with the desired physical
texture, and the laws Of hygiene? If
there were as many mathematicisns as
cooks, fundamental dietary equations,
based on nutntiYe ratios and cOefficients
OF digestibility might be supplemented
by numerous equations of observation
equations of condition eCc discussed
discussedby the theory of least squares.
No, the msjOrity OF mankind are
non mathematical in their habits OF
thought, and cannot readily estimate
how long ton OF coal will last, even il
they use two buckets a day; and yet,
mathematical relations must hold in
regard to the common operations OF al
our daily tolls and pleasures. How
much waste we see, because of taking
too much OF too little to accomplish th'
end desired. Common sense seeks Il
strike a happy mean, uncommon sens'
succeeds in dong so, mathematica
sense substitutes for suspicion tn.
eternal principles OF truth.
Mathematical studies are progr6 6ssiYe
succeeding one another in logical order
yet they are closely related, and mutual
Iy helpful. We pass from the study oi
whole numbers to fractions, and frcm
arithmetic to algebra; yet the algebraiC
equation, with its cOnciseness and pre-
c'si0h Of terms, affords the most con
Yenlent language for the solution tt
many arlihmetical problems; while
seoheIFlc Terms, with simple relations,
oHoiu Illustrations Of many difficult
laws IN mathematical physics.
Lei Us Illustrate with these cubical
Oiocks, and a few experiments IN ele-
mentsFy physics. Here is a souafe
IL m
pm H. with ) blocks in each side OF
'ne base, and blocks in height; Sc
'-Ochs IN all l lift off successive Iayers,
Al u lay them side by side to make 2
&c " square prism, with blocks in
l'0u SiuF, aud one block high. Again.
We may divide this into squares Of 4
o.OehS each, and make the pile Q blocks
ulgh' In imagination, we can diyido
'nlS into 4 parts by vertical planes and
IousIuct a square prism "a hIocks
nlsn' IN all these changes, we have
NJ % blocks. five use the symbol
tba = press the number on one side ~
var,;s-I 80 @lu l. for the number in one
'sLHcaI row, the whole nnmbor : Nc Nc
e4ual 56 and this product is an
S managing number. With our So solid
OI wood, just four square