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Re: [Phys-l] Student Misconceptions

BC -- the videographer had already spent his whole demo budget getting to the moon! I was referring to the video taken during the Apollo 15 mission.

As for how I handle error in my high school physics classes...well I know the list won't approve, but I am going to give the honest answer (and one that I believe is actually true for many high school classes): I don't. There are several reasons for this. One is that is seems boring and I'd feel bad cutting other material to include this or even delaying. It's hard enough to climb past kinematics and vectors. I don't want to get bogged down in error analysis. But another reason comes from a rule that following this list has led me to. I call it the "first-do-no-harm" rule: if I don't know how to teach something right, at least try not to teach it wrong.

You'd be amazed how following this rule can shorten a presentation. For example, when I teach thermo to my AP classes, the topic of entropy comes up. What can I say that isn't wrong? "Entropy is a number that..." Ok, that's as far as I get. (Surprisingly, that's more than they need to know for their AP exam.)

So what correct things can I say about the error when finding the acceleration due to gravity from the slope of a velocity graph collected with a falling picket fence and photogate? _________



-----Original Message-----
From: phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu [mailto:phys-l-
bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu] On Behalf Of Bernard Cleyet
Sent: Friday, September 30, 2011 12:57 AM
To: Forum for Physics Educators
Subject: Re: [Phys-l] Student Misconceptions


On 2011, Sep 29, , at 13:09, Philip Keller wrote:

But we absolutely DO discuss the fact that the heavier ones do fall a LITTLE
faster...the equipment is good enough to pick that up.. but these are complete
beginners and I have to choose my conceptual battles one at a time. So on
this day, I wave my hands at air resistance and show the video of the
hammer*** and feather :)
________________________________________


Aaa a practical instructor. How do you "handle" error?


*** The videographer couldn't afford a guinea?

bc corrected.
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