Re: Vapor?

["John S. Denker" <jsd@MONMOUTH.COM>]

The previous question was:
(( > I keep trying to get them to stop using
(( > vapor but it seems stuck in their minds..
(( > Esp. that gas and vapor are the same.

Later, Tina Fanetti wrote:
> The problem is when I have them define a gas.  They respond that it is a vapor.

Ahh.  That's a different question than previously stated.

I would tell them "This is a physics class, not a game show.
Tell me about the physics.  Don't give a one-word definition
unless you know that I know that you know the underlying
physics."

And moving up a level, maybe it would be better not to
ask for definitions at all.  When students spout one-word
definitions, it makes me worry that there's rote learning
going on.  So rather than asking for the definition, ask
something like
  "what are the salient physical properties of a gas?"
or perhaps something less open-ended such as
  "what physical properties distinguish a gas from a liquid?"