Re: The Mechanical Universe

[sample@lyon.edu (John D. Sample)]

At 12:19 PM on 12/4/96, <phys-l@mailer.uwf.edu> wrote:

> I've seen several references on the list to The Mechanical Universe,
> and I've visited their www site. However we don't have easy access
> to the videos or text to trial this series.
>
> Could anyone who has used this material  in their
> university-level teaching of introductory physics give me an idea of
> how useful they've found it, and what the teaching level is (i.e.
> what standard physics text the level most resembles)?  Also, how old
> is it - i.e. is the video series "dated" at all?  I've used some
> relatively old astronomy videos, only to lose student concentration
> while they laugh at the old hairstyles etc!
>
> Thanks
> Margaret Mazzolini


We have the tapes, and I like them alot.  I don't use them very often,
however.  They are not dated in my opinion, but that may simply date me.
The format of the tapes is usually a mini intro by David Goodstein in a
lecture hall full of students, followed by a mixture of appropriate video
and graphics demonstrating the principle of the day, sometimes using
calculus and even doing derivations of sorts.  This is mixed with some
historical reenactments with actors playing various dead physicists.  Each
tape ends with Goodstein wrapping up the lecture with some kind of joke to
make the students groan.

One summer I used these fairly often and one complaint was about the
historical info...too much according to that student.  But most liked them
and they helped break up those 3-hr summer marathons.

I would probably use them much more if we had the video disk version
because I could pick a few of the animations each day which are hard to
reproduce with chalk.  The students could decide whether they wanted to
watch the whole tape outside of class time.