Re: What is weight?

[Ludwik Kowalski <KowalskiL@MAIL.MONTCLAIR.EDU>]

John Denker wrote:

>     ...Weight is the gravitational force on a body.
>
> That's all.  Why make it complicated?

A cynical person might think that it is a conspiracy of
some kind. I am not a cynical person. And I appreciate
attempts to promote critical thinking. So let me refer to
a verse, found on page B2 of today's The New York
Times. The author of is Paul Pickrel.

SPIDER WEB

A spider out seeking his prey
Encountered a fly on the way
With no wish to provoke
He cordially spoke
"Please visit my web site today."

More seriously, I can elaborate on advantages of staying
away from the spider's parlor, as far as helping students
to learn newtonian mechanics is concerned. What are the
pedagogical advantages of saying that the authors of
textbooks are wrong in claiming that "the weight is the
same thing as the force of gravity"?

Yes, conceptual structures are not unique. And it is a
good idea to play with alternatives among ourselves. But
not in teaching introductory physics courses. It is hard
enough to grasp the essence of newtonian mechanics.
Why should the learning be made more difficult by
bringing non conventional approaches too early?
Ludwik Kowalski