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We've discussed the 5% that become physics majors and the 95% that don't, but
I think we also need to consider the 90+% of the total population that never
take a physics class at all. Clearly, we can't claim to serve them very well.
There must be some reason they avoid us. Word must be out on the street that
physics classes are bad news. Who put the word out and why? Do we care?
Can or should we do anything about it.
No easy answers here.
I would love it if students came to college with a
good conceptual understanding of a few basic topics. This is what I hope
the outcome of the PER work provides--that the REAL introductory courses,
those taken at the primary, middle-school, and high-school levels will
develop into EFFECTIVE conceptualization courses. Then the colleges and
universities can provide the depth and the other skills needed by the
technical students. We're a long way from that.