Re: [Phys-l] Any teaching tips

[Jack Uretsky <jlu@hep.anl.gov>]

I would not give all this.  My tests are require clear desks - including 
no calculators.  All calculations are rough estimates; precision is not 
wanted (on tests).
				Regards,
					Jack

"Trust me.  I have a lot of experience at this."
		General Custer's unremembered message to his men,
		just before leading them into the Little Big Horn Valley




On Mon, 31 Jan 2011, Dr. Richard Tarara wrote:

> OTOH--Scientist and Engineers use equations all the time.  Sometimes we have
> not derived these, but rather understand them at some level (well the
> scientists do) and trust that they have been thoroughly tested.  I fit all
> the equations needed for my first semester, Calculus level class on one side
> of a standard piece of paper--and didn't use particularly small fonts.  That
> same sheet includes some math stuff, like basic Trig and the quadratic
> formula (although they all have that function on their calculators these
> days.)  Many of the formulae were derived--kinematics from the definition of
> acceleration, KE and grav PE from Work--but the work formula given through
> the definition.  Newtonian gravitation given--not derived, but then used to
> derive Kepler's Third Law.  While the derivation of centripetal acceleration
> is given in all the books--I usually just use it.  Likewise, we need the
> velocity of a wave on a string formula in order to setup standing waves, and
> it can be derived, but it is not worth the time and effort (IMO)--happy to
> give and use the formula and reference the book derivation.
>
> So--I would suggest a reasonable mix of derived and given equations is not
> too bad.  It is the way we all (well almost all, I suspect some do derive
> everything from first principles) operate.  I used statistics equations for
> some time before sitting down and figuring out where they came from and I
> fitted a lot of my thesis data (eons ago) using Distorted Wave Born
> Approximations which I only vaguely understood--but had a program that would
> do the calculations (yes on punch cards!)
>
> ;-)
>
> Rick
>
> Richard W. Tarara
> Professor of Physics
> Saint Mary's College
> Notre Dame, Indiana
>
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> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Paul Lulai" <plulai@stanthony.k12.mn.us>
> To: "Forum for Physics Educators" <phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu>
> Sent: Monday, January 31, 2011 2:35 PM
> Subject: Re: [Phys-l] Any teaching tips
>
>
> "an equation should be acceptable if the student can derive it."
>
> High school freshman are not very good at deriving.  The rearranging of a
> single equation with 3 variables is a challenge for 1/2 of them (seemingly
> insurmountable for 1/10 of them).
> I plan to try the graphical analysis approach and find the relationships in
> that manner this semester (don't often teach freshman).  I suppose this
> would count as deriving.  I don't know how much success (or time would be
> required) to derive a relationship from multiple other relationships.
>
>
>
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