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364 SCHOOL SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS
make an estimate of the answer without any rule involving di-vision. For most young people this will take care of any need.If the occasion arises where the more brilliant student needs tolearn the division of decimals, I recommend the simple methodof reducing the divisor to an integer and placing the decimalpoint in before the operation is started. I have experimentedwith all the methods of division of decimals and find that thisis the only one for which I can vouch. I have seen this triedmany times in the elementary school and know that with asuccessful teacher it will work. This, however, does not meanthat a successful teacher cannot use other methods of divisionof decimals successfully, but I have seen good teachers fail withthe other methods and succeed with this one. However, as Ihave said before, I would not make this a required part of thequantitative situations. Teach division of decimals where theanswer, as far as integers is concerned may be found by anestimate. If, in later life, a student in scientific work has reasonto learn the division of decimals, let maturity take care of thelearning.
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MOLECULE, A NEW CHEMISTRY CARD GAME
SHERMAN SPARKSMt. Olive, Illinois
MOLECULE is a new card game that uses chemical atoms, orions, as units. The object of this game is constructing and nam-ing molecules formed by the combination of two or more ofthese units.The deck of cards consists of regular size bridge cards. At
either end of the card is printed the symbol of an element orradical. Near the center of the card the valence and atomicweight are printed for the element or radical indicated.The game is played by dealing seven cards to each player and
one face up on the table. The remaining cards are the reserve andare placed on the table face down beside the one card that is faceup. The player at the left starts the game either by taking thecard exposed or the top card from the reserve. After puttingdown cards for correct formulas (and naming the molecule) thisplayer discards one card, laying it face up next to the reservepile. The next player may take up one or more cards from theface up stack providing he can use the lowest card he picks up,or a card from the reserve, plays and discards.
SCIENCE CLUB PROGRAM 365
The player who first uses all his cards, in making molecules,and discarding one, closes the hand. Each card left in the handsof the other players counts against them according to the sumof the atomic weights of the cards they hold subtracted fromtheir score which is the sum of the molecular weights they havelaid down and declared. Four such hands constitute a game.
If a player lays down the wrong combination or misnames a
molecule, he is penalized two times the molecular weight.The person with the highest score (sum total of all molecular
weights for the four hands less penalties) wins the game.Have you as a Chemistry instructor encountered students
that have difficulty in constructing and naming molecules?When writing equations it is essential that the student has thisability.Some of these slower students have little difficulty in learning
the fundamentals of games they enjoy. MOLECULE is a gamethat is easy to learn while the fundamentals of constructing andnaming molecules seems more difficult as we teach them in theclassroom.
Students that play MOLECULE prior to their study of molecularconstruction in the classroom do, as a whole, much better workthan the rest of the students in formula writing and the like.
Science Club directors are often at a loss as to what gamesmay be used in their meetings that will be both amusing andeducational. MOLECULE is a game that the director will not feelembarrassed to sponsor.
THE SCIENCE CLUB PROGRAM OF THEAMERICAN INSTITUTE
H. H. SHELDONAmerican InstUttfe, New York City
In any discussion of the science club program of The Ameri-can Institute of the City of New York, it is first essential thatone should answer three questions which are sure to arise. Whatis The American Institute of the City of New York? What is itspurpose in promoting science clubs? What is its procedure inestablishing such clubs?The American Institute was founded in 1828 by a group of
far-seeing young men whose purpose was to promote industry,invention and science in this country. At that time practically