Re: [Phys-l] ? passive force of constraint

[John Denker <jsd@av8n.com>]

On 07/18/2007 09:50 PM, Dan Crowe wrote in part:
> >  an active force is a force exerted by an animate organism 

On 07/19/2007 04:29 PM, Scott Goelzer wrote in part:

> Ideally, all students would come to realize that there are no passive  
> forces.

OK, now I'm even more confused than when we started.

Am I to conclude that all forces are exerted by an animate organism?

I'm not trying to be difficult;  I just can't see any other way to
interpret what I'm being told.  Is there a typo somewhere?

The more I learn about passive forces and active forces, the more I
want to stay away from them.

> The concept is not DOA  
> since it exists for students. 

Why should we let the inmates run the asylum?  I'm not shy about
confronting misconceptions when necessary ... but I see no reason
to think this active/passive business is necessary.  Discussing a
previously inchoate misconception will often consolidate it rather
than dispelling it.  Not to mention the time spent discussing it.