Chronology Current Month Current Thread Current Date
[Year List] [Month List (current year)] [Date Index] [Thread Index] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Date Prev] [Date Next]

Re: Batteries

I would suggest that students ARE familiar with 'electrification by
contact' (often erroneously limited to FRICTIONAL charging). There is
no reason to use the term 'work function' until the time is right.
Only when the time is right (it comes up on the syllabus) is the term
used and THEN it can be related BACK to the PAST discussion of
charging by contact.


At 1:19 PM -0500 on 2/10/02, Ludwik Kowalski wrote
in order to
follow your advice I would have to violate a basic rule of
good teaching; I would have to explain something in terms
of something to be learned later.

<snip>

but the concept of "work function" does not exist in
the minds of my students. Therefore they have nothing to
link battery cells with. The concept of the DOP produced
by a cell can not be linked with something which may
or may not be introduced to them later. But the link must
be made when the work function is introduced. Lean on
the past, do not lean on the future. That should be the
basic teaching principle.
--

.-. .-. .-. .-. .-. .-. .-. .-. .-. .-
\ / \ / \ N / \ C / \ S / \ S / \ M / \ / \ /
`-' `-' `-' `-' `-' `-' `-' `-' `-'
Chuck Britton Education is what is left when
britton@ncssm.edu you have forgotten everything
North Carolina School of Science & Math you learned in school.
(919) 286-3366 x224 Albert Einstein, 1936