Re: [Phys-L] passive or active voice

[Philip Keller <pkeller@holmdelschools.org>]

It is a matter of taste.  But of:

"The temperature of
the water was measured..."

and

"We measured the water temperature..."

I strongly prefer the second one. It feels more crisp and honest.  The idea that there is an experiment but no active experimenters on stage is a fiction anyway, not one worth supporting with a less clear writing style.

So, yes, the passive voice is frowned upon in my class  :)