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Re: CAUSATION IN PHYSICS



A related issue? An object released from rest has the speed
of 4.9 m/s after one second. Why is it so? Two answers are
possible:

a) Because W=m*g was acting on it for one second.
b) Any other speed would violate the energy conservation
law (in this idealized situation).

The first answer is based on the cause-and-effect thinking.
The second is quite different to me. We all know that
mathematically the two approaches are equivalent. But the
energy approach seems to explain "what happens first" in
terms of "what would happens later". Thus I would argue
that our extremely useful energy approach is only a shortcut,
not an equivalent alternative.

How many of you remember the "Energy Before Work"
thread? It was triggered by a workshop for high school
teachers ("modelers") in Arizona. Does anybody still defend
this approach? How many introduce "energy considerations"
before "work and force" are clearly explained to students?
Ludwik Kowalski