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Re: [Phys-l] Student Misconceptions



True, but the students can't sense that, so it does not confirm the
important part of NTN1. They have to predict and then see the results.
Using the ILDs, the wrong prediction must precede the results by a short
time.

John M. Clement
Houston, TX


But the tablecloth demonstration is obviously being done on
an earth moving through space at 19 miles/sec. The tableware
items are not at rest by any stretch of the imagination.

Bob at PC

Very true. But besides the fact that research shows how
students must
explore Newtonian ideas rather than being lectured at, the usual
statement
of NTN is pedagogically wrong. It always begins with "A
body at rest
tends
to stay at rest...". So the students never bother with the second
part.
That is obviously just extra stuff. Reformulating NTN1
with a strong
statement that "Bodies keep moving unless acted on by an
external force
that
stops them" might be helpful. And putting it after NTN2
might also be
helpful.

Most of the demos used for NTN1 just show how something
that is at rest
tends to stay at rest. The usual tablecloth pull is one of
them. So
teachers tend to reinforce the wrong thing. The ILDs do not have a
demonstration of "a body at rest" and instead always have moving
bodies.

A good way to see some of the "misconceptions" is to give any of the
concept
inventories and then do an item analysis and go over it to see which
answers
are given. Of course the FCI does not have all
misconceptions but just
the
most common ones. Or ask similar questions with free
response answers.
That is even more enligtening.

John M. Clement
Houston, TX


A classic mis/pre-conception that everyone must deal with
eventually
is Aristotelean thinking.

The 'Natural' state of every object it to be at rest and
to remain at
rest until some outside agent makes it move.

Who can deny the reality of this!!!! It JUST makes SENSE ! ! ! ! !

Every successful intro physics student will learn to recite
Newtons First Law -

BUT VERY FEW STUDENTS WILL INTERNALIZE IT ! ! !


_______________________________________________
Forum for Physics Educators
Phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu
https://carnot.physics.buffalo.edu/mailman/listinfo/phys-l
_______________________________________________
Forum for Physics Educators
Phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu
https://carnot.physics.buffalo.edu/mailman/listinfo/phys-l