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Re: Physics education (fwd)



Anne: Go to my web site at: http://www.ph.utexas.edu/~phy-demo/
Look over demonstrtions related to the topic you will teach. Next, go to
the bottom of the page where it says: "Click Here to view demo resources
at other universities" Go there:
http://www.ph.utexas.edu/~phy-demo/resources/resources.html

You will find that most of us are now using the PIRA clasification scheme.
This is a Dewey decimal system for physics support apparatus. PIRA
(Physics Instructional Resource Association) is an "Affiliate Society" of
AAPT. AAPT is planning to publish the entire bibliography soon (12 years
of effort by numerous univesity teaching support facilities). Meanwhile,
anyone at the PIRA universities will be more than happy to assist you.
Karl

Can anyone help this person...perhaps point here to some downloadable
material?

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sat, 16 Oct 1999 09:03:54 -0400
From: Anne Pfannkoch <akp@inr.net>
Reply-To: chemed-l@atlantis.uwf.edu
To: Chemistry list <chemed-l@atlantis.uwf.edu>
Subject: Physics education

Our physics teacher left yesterday (we didn't get much notice!) and
rather suddenly, I am assigned the job of picking up his physics classes
starting Monday. I know many of you teach both chemistry and physics and
I am hoping someone can help me a little.

Now, this is really ok with me that I have his class, since I've always
envied him. He had 4 students, all very bright, all very interested in
physics. Think of all the fun thing one can do with a class that size of
very motivated students! The problem is, of course, that I am new to
teaching CHEMISTRY and certainly new to teaching physics. I've looked in
the stock room where we keep our books, and I have found plenty of
physics lab equipment, but nothing that explains how to use them. I can
get things from science supply companies (already had the department
secretary order some things yesterday) but that doesn't solve my
immediate problem of this coming week. I'd like to do some interesting
labs to get us off on the right foot. The topic I am to start with is
circular motion. The only piece of equipment I can find that seems
related to that is a circular turn table -- one of those things you see
in the Flinn catalogue with someone standing on it. How is that used to
teach about circular motion? What sorts of things can I do? The lab book
has not got a lab that uses it. If my predecessor used it, he did it all
out of his head -- there is no documentation whatsoever.

Hopefully this situation will be temporary, and a qualified physics
teacher will be hired, but I'd appreciate any help any of you can give
me.

Thanks!

--
Anne Pfannkoch

Dr. Karl I. Trappe Desk Phone: (512) 471-4152
Physics Dept, Mail Stop C-1600 Demo Office: (512) 471-5411
The University of Texas at Austin Home Phone: (512) 264-1616
Austin, Texas 78712-1081