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[Phys-L] Re: Assignment for Einsteinians



Thanks, but I already use interactive engagement and research based
pedagogy. In addition I always ask questions like this one, and I use the
FCI or FMCE as evaluations.

John M. Clement
Houston, TX


For an airplane cruising at constant velocity - which force is greater -
a) the drag produced by the air
b) the thrust produced the jet engine.
c) neither is greater - they are equal.

This is Newton's number ONE law. (which some pedagogs dismiss as a
trivial special case of the Second Law.)

Newton had to state his number One Law because it is so definitely
counter to the Aristotelian view of nature.

Today's view of nature by the majority of students (and hence -
adults) still thinks that Aristotle was right in regard to this
question.

Please put this question on your final exam and then let us know the
results.

At 2:08 PM -0500 7/1/05, John Clement wrote:

But of course most people never really accept Newton's laws, especially
the
third one. They go "naw, a truck has to push harder on a car". Then
there
is the majority of people in the US who do not completely accept
evolution.
Some do not accept the holocaust, cosmology ... The reason is that these
things are usually taught by telling and students are not forced to
reason
for themselves. Since less that 1/3 of the population functions at the
formal operational level this should not be surprising. However we now
have
proof that it is possible to have 70% or more functioning at the formal
operational level. The failure is ours because we have not done what is
necessary to properly push student thinking up, and to help them really
learn the concepts. If you don't believe me read "Really Raising
Standards"
by Shayer&Adey, based on their published papers in JRST in the early 90s,
or
Feuerstein "Instrumental Enrichment", and finally Arons seconds this in
his
book on teaching physics.

John M. Clement
Houston, TX
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