Re: transfer of momentum

[Joe Heafner <heafnerj@CTC.NET>]

> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Bob LaMontagne [mailto:rlamont@POSTOFFICE.PROVIDENCE.EDU]
> >
> > I find this to be the case with my non-science majors. They never
> > fully
> > understand the concept of 'acceleration'. But they can easily grasp
> > the
> > idea that when an object falls, it picks up 10 m/s in speed every
> > second. They can work out fairly sophisticated problems just by making
> > out a little table with the speed being 0 initially, 10 m/s after 1
> > sec,
> > 20 m/s after 2 sec, etc. It also doesn't bother them in the least to
> > think of the speed decreasing by 10 m/s every second as a ball rises.
> > The transition from positive to negative speeds at the top never
> > bothers
> > them - in fact they usually suggest it before I do. But - mention
> > acceleration and they're totally confused - especially the idea that
> > the
> > acceleration is g at the peak of the balls motion. They need to deal
> > with finite intervals. I think this is one of the advantages of the
> > momentum approach to N2.

Do the science majors grasp it any more easily?

Incidentally, the frame-by-frame cartoon approach is precisely what I
use in my intro astronomy course. I started doing this about two years
ago and it hasn't failed the students yet.

Cheers,
Joe Heafner -- Astronomy/Physics Instructor