University Physics Examinations, Vintage 1892
There recently came into my possession a book of very old school and university physics examinations, which are of interest because I’ve been posting slightly less ancient examples in recent weeks. These examinations were set by the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire, which was founded in 1883, an institution which eventually became Cardiff University. I find them absolutely fascinating.
The papers are rather fragile, as is the book containing them, so I daren’t risk trying to scan them systematically in case flattening them out causes damage. Here instead are a few random examples that I photographed on my desk, in the manner of an old-fashioned secret agent. Sorry they’re not all that clear, but you can see them blown up if you click on them.
The collection is fairly complete, covering most of classical physics, at all examination levels from university entry to final honours. For some reason, however, the papers on relativity and quantum physics appear to be missing….
In the Dark 
September 7, 2011 at 5:27 pm
Interesting. i would say in general the standard is similar to the A levels I did about 20 years ago – in fact in the quick skim through I did there is no obvious need for any calculus etc. probably easier in parts. Certainly I would expect any of our undergraduates to be able to do most of these papers easily.
Where is stuff like Maxwell’s equations – they were discovered 30 years before the date of the paper?
September 7, 2011 at 7:06 pm
These are very interesting examination papers.
I’m a little intrigued by the date, 1892.
The University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire (a rather strange name, adopted because Monmouthshire was disputed territory, claimed by both Wales and England) was established in 1883 as a university college that did not have the ability to confer degrees. It trained students to sit the University of London examinations as external candidates.
Three Welsh university colleges formed the University of Wales in 1893, following the change in British government in 1892 which brought in an administration that was favourable to approving a charter to create a new university. The University of Wales was able to confer its own degrees.
That means that the 1892 examination papers would not have determined final degree results: those papers would instead have been produced by the University of London. The papers shown here would have been internal Cardiff college papers for students not sitting their final examinations. That is consistent with their “Junior Class” and “Intermediate Class” titles.
September 7, 2011 at 11:39 pm
Yes, I do have final honours class papers from subsequent years but the headings are different. I also have matriculation papers, which presumably form some sort of entrance examination but I’m not sure how the system worked back then.
September 8, 2011 at 5:20 pm
It should be said that the physics teaching in 1892 at the university college in Cardiff would have been carried by the overworked Principal and Professor of Physics, John Viriamu Jones, and by the Assistant Professor of Physics, Arthur Laidlaw Selby. Somebody called W. S. Hensley was a Demonstrator in Physics in 1895 and may have been in post in 1892.
Viriamu Jones became the first Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wales when it was set up in 1893, in parallel with his other positions. The marble statue of Viriamu Jones survives in the main building of Cardiff University.
July 19, 2014 at 10:22 pm
I know this is an old post, but I also have some old exam papers- the Central Welsh board from 1922 and 23, covering Physics, English, French, Drawing etc. They are really fascinating to read through. They also came out of a Physic’s book, ‘dynamics of a particle and of rigid bodies’ and lots of note have been written in by the teacher I presume. I can send you some pics if you would like?