🚀 go-pugleaf

   How do we know when a student truely understands the physics that we are
trying to teach them about?  I teach both Algebra based (B level AP Physics)
and Conceptual Physics.  I find that in many ways, the understanding and
appreciation for what is occuring is stronger in those students from my
conceptual class and the ideas last longer.
 Donald Simanek wrote of needing to understand what is meant by concepts, and
I do think that he is right to ask for that kind of information.  An example
that I will offer pertains to Newton's Universal Gravitation.  When I teach
this to the honors students, I have students who are, by course selection,
able to manipulate the formula to see how if you move from earth orbit to a
satellite orbiting Mars, how the forces of gravity vary both between the two
planet orbits as well as with orbital altitude, if I ask that kind of
question of them.  They can, with a scientific calculator come up with
specific numerical values and then work comparisons from those numbers.  This
type of student is able to handle physics through the traditional physics
that I learned both in high school and in many of my undergrad courses.
   There are many inteligent people, who will need a feeling for how the
physical world operates, that are extremely intimidated by algebra-like
equations of any form.  These are the students that I am interested in seeing
in my conceptual physics.  I do teach Newton's law of Gravitation to them as
well.  I do present the same formula but rather than give them the mass of
the planet, the value of G, the radius of the satellite orbit, we talk about
how the force of gravity would change if the distance was doubled, or if the
mass was doubled etc.  We look at the formula as a ratio to give us a feel
for how the forces change with changes in the various variables, and
different combinations of variables.  The students do not see this as working
with math formulas and numbers giving them answers.  This removes them from
the idea of getting *the right* answer, to say nothing of the problems in the
physics comprehension when they do not.  Do they have less of a feeling for
the physics than those student who do everything with numbers, I think not.
   Do not assume that these conceptual students are not worth our time.
 These are not the people who will go into physics related fields, but may
have a greater influence on the direction of science than we can see.  People
who do not see that science is not a mystical study of things that was too
hard for them to understand, will not support funding and legislation in any
area.  Since it would seem to them to be applicable to a narrow few nerds and
egg heads ( do I date myself?) it must not be important.  With the world
changing as fast as it is, we need to be sure that basic understanding,
especially of that science called physics, is more common rather than less.
   A question that you might try asking your students on a test, perhaps as a
bonus, is what *is* physics?  You might  be surprised at the answer.
    I now step down from the soap box.

Conniecoop@AOL.com