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Re: No Lab Facilities



Ludwig wrote:

Where can I find the
official AAPT policy on distance learning, or on computer
simulations?
Ludwik Kowalski

There are two position papers relevant to the introductory laboratory
published by AAPT

One is " The Role of the Laboratory in High School Physics"
the other is "The Goal of Introductory Laboratories"

They are available on-line at the AAPT web site ( www.aapt.org) under
statements and policies- you can download a PDF version-
There is no policy so far that I know of on distance learning, but the lab
goals statements do talk about the role of simulations.

My suggestion for doing string and sticky tape stuff to start followed by
simulation was intended as an immediate solution to an immediate problem,
that preserves at least some of the flavor of doing lab work. If simple
experiences are used to initially build conceptual models, then simulations-
which are of course computerized representations of the mathematical
versions of those models- can be used to further explore the predictions of
the models-- obviously, one would then like to go back and take the
predictions from the simulations and see that they are consistent with
experiments which test those predictions.

One advantage that the string and sticky tape expts have is that students
have to build the equipment- and thereby get some feel for phenomena,

Bob Morse
Robert A. Morse, Physics Master
St. Albans School, Washington, DC 20016
(202)537-6452 phone (202)537-5613 fax
robert_morse@cathedral.org