🚀 go-pugleaf

On Tue, 2 May 1995, Alan Chuckran Dracut HS wrote:

> Our topics are somewhat tied by history, so our first unit will cover
> ancient Egypt.  I am looking for any input into the science curriculum for
> this unit.  Although our current 9th gr. science is physical science, I
> would prefer to utilize an intergrated science approach wherever possible.
> Of particular interest would be any ideas in the way of projects, both
> individual and group, which could get the students physically involved.
>

How were the topics chosen? Is there a textbook, with a number of 'units'?
Egypt will be difficult, for there's not a great deal of hard evidence for
the details of their science, say physics, or even astronomy. What we know
for pretty sure is rather superficial. There's a fair amount of literature
on their mathematics. And there's an awful lot of wild speculation which
muddies the waters, and from certain quarters, far-reaching attempts to
paint ancient cultures as posessing far more knowledge than there's
evidence for. You still see arguments about whether the Egyptians had rope
(they did), what pulley and lever systems they knew and used, whether they
knew a good value for pi, etc. etc. You'll have to be *very* careful to
critically examine the reliability of literature sources.

I can tell you (from personal experience) that anyone not formally
trained and academically educated in history of science has no business
getting into this area. A Ph.D. in history, with specialization in the
history of science is a minimum prerequisite. Otherwise it is the blind
leading the blind. I have seen tremendous blunders of history
interpretation from sincere and zealous amateurs. Such blunders often
appear in textbooks of science.

        -- Donald