🚀 go-pugleaf

Mike,

The very best source of problems that I know of comes from Pat Canan of
Corvallis High School right here in the Great Northwest.  My students
think it is an excellent way to learn physics.

Lowell

Project PHYSLab
The Catlin Gabel School
Portland, OR 97225

On Thu, 4 May 1995, Mike Macallister wrote:

> In my AP physics class for the last four years I have been dutifully
> assigning problems from the text we use (Physics, Giancoli 3rd edition) for
> my students to solve.  I have also been getting increasingly dissatisfied
> with this.  The problems usually key in on a particular section of a chapter
> with its narrow focus of possible concepts to be brought to bear on the
> problem and their equation(s).  I don't disparage this.  I do, however, wish
> there was more.
> For example, I came across an interesting problem not too long ago which
> simply asked the following: "If two galaxies passed through each other, what
> is the probability that two stars would collide?  Or one Neils Bohr once
> proposed, "How many molecules does a car tire lose for each revolution of the
> tire.   To solve the problem there are estimates that have to be made and
> relevant quantities researched.  There  is a strategy to solving the problem
> that is not tacitly dictated by the section of the text the problem comes
> from.  And so on.
> Anyhoo, I am not terribly creative at making up my own such problems like
> this.  I also have not found any good sources as yet.  If you know of any
> such source, or have pet problems like this you wouldn't mind sharing, could
> you pass it along to me?
> Thank you
>
> Mike Macallister
> Central Catholic High School
> Portland, Oregon