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Re: key concepts in physics ???



kyle forinash wrote:

Our campus is undergoing a revision of general ed requirements for
all students. Our dean of natural sciences asked each discipline to
come up with the five most important concepts in our discipline that
any well educated person in any discipline should know (a 'science
literacy' list a la Hirsh).

I came up with the following pie in the sky list (I tired to be as
idealistic as possible); if anyone out there is bored and would like
to amend the list or has a broader perspective I'd appreciate it.

...
________________________________________________________________________

3. Matter is made of atoms which have discrete structure
(electrons, protons and neutrons). Much of the everyday world can be
explained by this fact (for example temperature is a measure of the
average kinetic energy of molecules, we smell things by diffusion,
chemical bonding depends on atomic structure, behavior of
semiconductors depends on electron behavior etc.) The laws which
govern the behavior of these subatomic particles (quantum physics)
are fundamentally different from the behavior we are familiar with
(described by Newtonian physics). One result of these laws is that
nature provides a fundamental limitation of knowledge regarding the
behavior of these particles; nature is statistical at its core (this
is not a limit of human ingenuity but a limit imposed by nature)
________________________________________________________________________

Personally I would emphasize the second half of this one more,
especially if Chemistry includes atoms in their list as I expect they
would. The use of probability as the fundamental description of Nature
is the real conceptual revolution in Quantum Mechanics, so I would put
that idea at the very top. I would mention the Uncertainty Principle
more explicitly in the paragraph as well, to hammer in the point. In
addition, most people -- even science students -- don't understand
probability at all, and the course work that might eventually follow
from this paragraph can be used to address that weakness.

I think that I am basically in copy-edit mode. I agree with everything
you have here, but I would ground it in QM rather than in the existence
of atoms and molecules.

We just went through a similar exercise, although it isn't clear whether
the Faculty Senate will approve the results or not. In fact it isn't
clear whether or not the Faculty Senate has already rejected the results
or not, but that is a different story. However, it is clear that the
specification of the first goals is an important part of the process.
Those who prefer to include as little science as possible will use these
goals against you if you leave anything out.
...
-----------------------------------------------------
kyle forinash 812-941-2390
kforinas@ius.edu
Natural Science Division
Indiana University Southeast
New Albany, IN 47150
http://Physics.ius.edu/
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--
Maurice Barnhill (mvb@udel.edu)
Department of Physics and Astronomy
University of Delaware
Newark, DE 19716