The war, probably more than anything else, has brought the realization to many of the value of training in basic mathematics. Such training is a necessity in many activities of warfare, in wartime industry, as well as in peace time. The only difference between peace and war in this respect is that the mathematics involved in destruction is much more spectacular and rapid than the'mathematics of construction. The necessity is there in both cases. But now, when there is a demand for those with knowledge including mathematics, many schools have sprung up creating a demand for suitable texts. The book at hand is designed for this purpose.
It is composed of 246 pages of text. Careful selection has been made of elementary mathematics and they are presented in a carefully organized manner. Presupposition is made of a familiarity with the elementary operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division in whole numbers. Consequently the work starts with common fractions and proceeds through mensuration for the arithmetical coverage. In algebra, the next topic, the start is made from the very beginning and ends with quadratic equations. The largest sections are devoted to geometry and trigonometry, and finally spherical trigonometry which includes some elements of navigation. In the back are tables of logarithms and trigonometric functions.
The work is thoroughly practical in choice of both topics and treatment. Mathematical rigor in the way of exercises is not diminished. The exercises are applicable to activities of the day and the answers are given in the back. This widens the usefulness of the book for home study and as a refresher.
R. H. OPPERMANN.