U niversity
of
O regon M onthly
39
principles, so that the student should have no trouble in understand
ing ordinary electrical term s, or in tracing out and operating a simple
system of generator, motor and lights. He learns about the mate
rials used in electrical measuring instruments. The elementary
principles of electric lighting and heating are studied, as well as
the telephone and telegraph. The course is non-mathematical as
far as possible, and as simple and practical as it can well be made.
In the laboratory the student learns to operate the various
classes of electrical machinery, direct current generators and motors,
shunt, compound and series; alternators and the corresponding
motors, transform ers, etc., of various types. H e makes measure
m ents oi voltage, current, and power, calculates the efficiency of
various types of machinery a t various loads, and plots the curves
show ing the variations in load during a run, changes of voltage,
current, and th e losses due to some of th e sim pler causes.
N o t only does he learn to operate the various machines, b u t
he is led to understand th e principles which underlie such operation,
so th a t he is able to give th e reasons for th e different steps which
he takes, and insures him self against unnecessary o r dangerous
experim ents. W hen he finishes th e course he m ay not be an ex
p ert electrical engineer b u t he ought to know how to ru n a simple
generator o r m otor w ithout dam age to him self or. the machine, he
oug h t to know how to do simple w iring for bells, lights, transform
ers o r m otors, and to repair any simple breakage.
A s a preparation for these two courses one year of physics is
essential. A little algebra and less trigonom etry make up the re
quirem ents in m athem atics. H av in g th is preparation, if a student
is w illing to do earnest w ork he will find a t th e end of the year th a t
he has largely increased his store of every-day practical inform ation
and has obtained a broader view of m odem life and industrial
methods.
J. H . Bond.