Economics 10, "Principles of Economics," leads this year's list of Harvard's ten most popular courses, with an enrollment of 832 students, according to preliminary course enrollment figures released yesterday by the Office of the Registrar.

Elisabeth S. Allison '67, associate professor of Economics and head of sectioning for Ec 10, yesterday attributed the unusual popularity of the course, which is twice as heavily subscribed to as any other course, to an increasing interest in recent economic fluctuations and a change in students' perceptions of their job opportunities.

Allison said Ec 10 is the kind of course students interested in business and law schools think they "ought to have taken." The top-ten list is a mixture of courses popularly thought of as "guts" and required departmental courses.

In addition to Ec 10, four general education and five departmental courses are on the list.

The gen ed courses are: Natural Sciences 110, "Automatic Computing;" Natural Sciences 3, "Introduction to Chemistry;" Natural Sciences 36, "Biological Determinism;" and Social Sciences 15a, "Introduction to Psychology and Social Relations."

Courses on List

The departmental courses include Government 30, "Introduction to American Government," Mathematics 1a, "Introduction to the Calculus," Fine Arts 13, "Introduction to the History of Art," English 140b, "The Age of Johnson," and Chemistry 20a, "Organic Chemistry."

G.M.A. Hanfmann, Hudson Professor of Archaeology, said yesterday Fine Arts 13's popularity--fifth on the list with 382 students enrolled--is due to the "very genuine desire of young people to know about art as an outlet for their creative energies."

A student in the course, Rob Lewinson '77, agreed with Hanfmann, and said he is taking the course because "knowledge about art has been a void in my intellectual experience."

Nat Sci 36, which received a rave review in the Confidential Guide to Courses at Harvard and Radcliffe and requires only a ten-page paper and unsigned exam for a student to receive a B, should be second on the list with 620 students, but enrollment was trimmed to 315 by an impartial lottery.

A Free B

Richard C. Lewontin '50, professor of Biology and one of the course instructors, said yesterday that "It would be silly not to say that a lot of students didn't come for a free B."

The Harvard Top Ten

1) Economics 10--832

2) Government 30-397

3) Mathematics 1A--395

4) Nat Sci 110--385

5) Fine Arts 13-382

6) Nat Sci 3-353

7) English 140B--320

8) Nat Sci 36--312

9) Chemistry 20A--305

10) Soc Sci 15A--284