Specimens of Exposition - 1894 Author:Hammond Lamont Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: I Steam=;Engine. GEORGE C. V. HOLMES. The following selection is based upon the first chapter of George C. V. Holmes's "The Steam-Engine," in the "Text- B... more »ooks of Science." London, 1888. The chapter has been shortened by the omission of passages referring to subsequent 5 parts of the book and by minor changes in phrasing. This explanation of the engine is an example of exposition which for perfect clearness needs illustration by diagram. Such illustration is a valuable supplement to most writing which deals with mechanism or with natural objects at all complex in struct- 10 ure,like animal or vegetable forms. Another point worth noting is the careful definition of technical terms, which makes the piece generally intelligible, even though it is intended for those who already know something of the subject. Of course writing technical treatises which can be understood only by those possessing 15 technical knowledge is perfectly legitimate, but the average student will find better practice, so far as English Composition is concerned, in the harder task of imparting his technical knowledge to laymen. The student who does well in this more difficult undertaking will be fairly sure of success in the easier. 20 A Complete knowledge of the steam-engine involves an acquaintance with the sciences of physics, of chemistry, and of pure and applied mathematics, as well as with the theory of mechanism and the strength of materials. My plan, however, is to begin by showing in a verysimple case how steam can do work, and then to explain an actual engine of the most modern construction, but at the same time remarkably free from complexity. Take a hollow cylinder, figure i, the bottom closed while the top remains open, and pour in water to the S height of a few inches. Next cover t...« less