From: "JACK L. URETSKY (C)1998; HEP DIVISION, ARGONNE NATIONAL LAB ARGONNE, IL 60439" <JLU@HEP.ANL.GOV>
Date: Sun, 11 Jul 1999 20:41:28 -0500
Hi all-
O.K. Here's another anecdote, this time from a college.
I gave a parallax problem at the beginning of a calculus-based physics
course in order to motivate a discussion of measurement accuracy. The parallax
had to do with the angular shift in the position of a star from two extreme
positions of the earth's orbit.
A very disturbed young man came to me, after I had discussed the solution
in a later class. His words were, approximately, "That was a terribly unfair
problem; you didn't tell us that the star was OUTSIDE the orbit!"
MORAL: Take nothing for granted - ever.
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On a lighter note...
This summer I am filling in for a suddenly ill friend who teaches high
school mathematics. Teaching calculus and geometry to inner city youth has
turned out to be a very stimulating experience. The start was a bit
rocky -- when thrown to the lions without any time to prepare -- I decided
to teach rotational vectors via plate tectonics.
Never having taught high school students, I assumed most had at least
some exposure to earth structure and/or plate tectonics. After giving a
brief overview, I reached for some friendly Socratic refinements on my
lecture. My first question: "Now what's at the center of the earth?"
After a very pregnant pause one young man earnestly called out, "Hell?"
And so it goes.
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Regards,
Jack
"I scored the next great triumph for science myself,
to wit, how the milk gets into the cow. Both of us
had marveled over that mystery a long time. We had
followed the cows around for years - that is, in the
daytime - but had never caught them drinking fluid of
that color."
Mark Twain, Extract from Eve's
Autobiography