AMERICAN ARITHMETIC, ADAPTED TO THE CURRENCY OF THE UNITED STATES. TO WHICH IS ADDED A CONCISE TREATISE ON THE MENSURATION OF PLANES AND SOLIDS. COMPILED BY OLIVER WELCH. IMPROVED AND ILLUSTRATED WITH QUESTIONS ADAPTED SCHOOLS AND ACADEMIES. BY AN EXPERIENCED TEACHER. PORTLAND, ME. 1847. Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1834, AR 1047172 ADVERTISEMENT. To meet the wishes of many instructers, a short COMPEND OF MENTAL ARITHMETIC has Leen prefixed to the book, in the hope that it will now be found to contain all that is necessary. The compend is confined to simple elementary rules, in order to furnish an introduction to the study. TO THE FIRST EDITION OF WELCH'S AMERICAN ARITHMETIC REVISED. Considering the encouragement with which the original work has me!, since its first appearance to the public, the author feels assured that a like system was wanted, and will still receive the entire approbation of a generous public. "If a quick sale and continued demand of a book are recommendations, this system of Arithmetic may claim a competent share of them; for since the first publication of the original, not less than 26000 copies have been published and sold, and yet an increasing demand." No other recommendations than these and its own merits will be offered in this edition: desirous to increase the benefit of the work, the author has made many important additions and corrections and omitted all matter which was deemed superfluous in the original. In revising the work, it was thought proper and beneficial that additions to the rules of Interest and to the method of casting interest on Notes, Bonds, &c. should be made, and also that it should comprise a few valuable rules which have never appeared in the original, viz.-Compound Average Judgment, Commission, Brokerage, Insurance, Barter, Loss and Gain, Single and Double Position, Arithmetical and Geometrical Progression; and a series of useful Miscellaneous Questions; all arranged and well calculated to promote instruction in this branch of science. The Revisor having been for many years engaged in instructing, found tha a thorough knowledge of the Rule previous to the operation of the Example, was highly requisite before any progress could be made; and that the easiest method to simplify and make it familiar was far the best. This is presumed to be accomplished. Annexed to each Rule are interrogatories numbered by figures in their order, and these figures referring to a like, in the Rule, where the answer to the interrogative should commence; and when these are once perfectly committed to memory, all obscurity is removed and the Rule then becomes easy and plain and needs but little or no further explanation. As this work is now presented to the public, the author has full confidence in commending it to instructers, well assured it will lessen their own labor and facilitate the improvement of their pupils. It is perfectly obvious, that great convenience will be found both by instructers and scholars in having the interrogatives printed on the same page with the rule from which they are to be answered, as no labor is required in selecting appropriate answers by reading and studying the whole rule. This system, it is hoped, will supply the long sought for Classical Arithmetic, whereby whole schools can be examined, collectively or separately; and while the author expresses his confidence of the merits of such a work, he trusts that the following pages will sufficiently recommend themselves. |