Actually, any textbooks of the nineteenth century were far more "lite=
rate" than textbooks today. For example, 1st grade readers from 1900=
are comparable to 6th grade level or higher today. Victorian novels=
use a noticably larger and more precise vocabulary than is commonly =
used today. The level of literacy was very high compared to today. =
On the other hand, a considerably smaller fraction of the population=
was literate. =20
Vickie
-----Original Message-----
=46rom: Forum for Physics Educators on behalf of RAUBER, JOEL
Sent: Tue 2/22/2005 5:19 PM
To: PHYS-L@LISTS.NAU.EDU
Subject: Re: The bulb-with-one-wire task: too tricky?
=20
| I've been reading some antique physics books. In the 1860's
| an "electrical battery" was a collection of Leyden jars
| (capacitors) connected in parallel.
|
|
| A few years ago, one of my students was incensed that his
| "Modern Physics" text was ten years old. Upon reflection, I
| determined that the physics covered in the course was
| primarily from the first half of the 20th Century. "Modern
| Physics" isn't "modern" anymore. It's ancient history!
|
| Vickie Frohne
Its worse than what you mention, probably a lot of it is the the firs=
t
30 years of the 20th century. This is a problem with Physics, so muc=
h
of our fundamental truths were discovered a long time ago and haven't
been overthrown yet. :-)
On a bit of a different note:
I looked at some turn of the century (19th --> 20th) astronomy textbo=
oks
a few years ago, and was rather shocked at the reading level required=
of
the students. They were expected to be rather literate.