Re: [Phys-L] vectors in the K12 curriculum

[Richard Tarara <rtarara@saintmarys.edu>]

OK...said I didn't know where we were at today, but the next step is to 
actually go into an intro college physics class and see how much 
students actually know about vectors.  I think many here would answer 
'not much'.  That would not be an unusual response for just about 
anything in the HS curricula unless one had a class of the brightest, 
most ambitious, and (mostly) privately educated students in the class.  
Teaching (or reteaching) vectors in College, intro, problem-solving 
courses has been the norm and I suspect will remain the norm for 
instructors.

At the College from which I am recently retired, the students entering 
the Calculus-based physics course did have some vector work in their 
first year of math courses so one could build on that, but those in the 
Algebra based course (even just a couple years ago) seemed clueless 
unless 'retrained'.

rwt

On 10/4/2015 6:09 AM, John Denker wrote:
> Here is some objective evidence that the topic of vectors is not
> quite as unheard-of as some people are suggesting:
>
>    http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Content/HSN/VM/
>    http://xmltwo.ibo.org/publications/DP/Group5/d_5_mathl_gui_1206_1/pdf/syllabus_topic_4_e.pdf
>    http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/collegereadiness/CRS.pdf
>    http://www.doe.mass.edu/frameworks/math/0111.pdf
>    http://education.ky.gov/AA/Assessments/kprep/Documents/Grade%2010%20High%20School%20Mathematics.pdf
>    http://www.azed.gov/wp-content/uploads/PDF/MathGrHS.pdf
>    http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/sciencestnd.doc   http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/ma/cf/documents/mathfwgrade7.pdf
>    http://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/12087/urlt/G9-12_Mathematics_Florida_Standards.pdf
>    https://www.eed.state.ak.us/akstandards/standards/akstandards_elaandmath_080812.docx
>    http://bese.louisiana.gov/current-initiatives/common-core-implementation
>    etc.
>    etc.
>    etc.
>
> Just now I re-checked the first ten places I could think of, and got
> ten matches.  The chances of this being a coincidence are rather slim.
>
> I say "re-" checked because I knew in advance what the results would be.
>
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--
Richard Tarara
Professor Emeritus
Saint Mary's College

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