Re: statics first.

[Brad Shue <jshue@comp.uark.edu>]

On Thu, 31 Oct 1996, Leigh Palmer wrote:
> I'm older; I will guess that Halliday and Resnick became the model after
> which all subsequent texts were written. Statics is largely ignored these
> days. I often want to use the principle of virtual work to solve a knotty
> mechanics problem. I can't because students these days have never heard
> of it! I'll second Joel's question; where did we go wrong? How is it we
> can have allowed such beautiful physics to fall into disuse?

After what I have seen, I would attribute it to the "watering down" of
courses due to the lack to knowledge of incoming students.  I'm still
trying to get the "atwood's machine" done as a lab here.  Hell, that is
that lab that taught me F=ma and drove it home!  We need to stop pandering
to students.  Helping them out is OK, but jumping at their every squawk
has got to end.  I see so much "spoon feeding" going on it's pathetic.

What ever happened to putting you nose to the grindstone?!  Students will
slack off If you let them and they will work if you motivate them.  You do
one or the other.  If you are really good, you can get them to work and
motivate.

I do my "chores" around the house every weekend.  I don't enjoy it, but it
has to be done.  If I don't do them, then I regret it later on.  Most
things in life aren't fun!  I just try to make the most of the fun
things!!
--
James Bradford Shue                             jshue@comp.uark.edu
University of Arkansas                          Voice phone:(501) 575-6059
Physics Lab/Demo Curator                        FAX Number: (501) 575-4580
WWW Page					http://comp.uark.edu/~jshue