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An Early Nineteenth Century Arithmetic Exercise Book

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 November 2016

Extract

School exercise books have usually a transitory existence. Even if we ourselves retain them as souvenirs of our schooldays—and we seldom do—then our descendants have no such sentimental regard for them, and consign them to the waste-paper basket when we depart this life. A school exercise book of 130 years ago is therefore remarkable for its longevity, as well as interesting for the light it throws on the teachings of that time.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Mathematical Association 1961

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References

page 1 note * On page 60 of the manuscript there appears a note: “Edward Winder at Wyer House Wyersdale Counting Book”.

page 4 note * Cf. Ministry of Education Pamphlet 36, p. 52 “‘Checking’ should not be regarded as a fad of the teacher, but as essential part of the work. Addition can be checked by adding both up and down; subtraction can be checked by addition;…”

page 5 note That is, hundredweights = 112 lb. But note that cheese and some other goods had formerly been sold in hundredweights of 120 lb.

page 5 note The exercise book gives also the alternative names “rod” and “perch” for this unit.

page 5 note § Actually 277.274 cubic inches. It was defined as the volume of 101b. avoirdupois of water at 62° F.

page 7 note * The prices may, of course, have been a few years out of date in 1827.

page 8 note * Presumably ‘rods’