Re: reading Feynman, et al.

[Bernard Cleyet <anngeorg@PACBELL.NET>]

My experience contradicts Justin's (but then this may be personality driven).
I find more rapid learning results from reading a book, and then asking for
assistance on the parts I don't understand (the "text" must have the
appropriate difficulty).  This is because reading is considerably faster than
speech and there is permanent memory, i.e. one can re-read repeatedly.
Obviously, this is true for the vast majority of people ** -- otherwise teaching
would be as done before Gutenberg, e.g. Socratically.  Even at colleges where
one has a tutor, the tutor assigns reading, exercises, etc. and then discussion
begins.

Respectfully,

bc

** Admittedly less labour intensive, also.

Mojca Cepic wrote:

> It is better to read the suggested book and to complain later. It is not the
> book of the sort you are
> complaining.
>
> Mojca
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Meredith, Justin <JUMeredith@IKON.COM>
> To: <PHYS-L@lists.nau.edu>
> Sent: Friday, August 10, 2001 11:08 PM
>
> > i understand where you are coming from. it is faster to learn when you ask
> a
> > PERSON for their knowledge and A LOT more interactive, than reading books
> > that may not even answer the questions that you have.
> >
> > also, a lot of really technical books, i have noticed, use very archaic
> > language, mostly terms that only other people that have been in their
> field
> > a while would know what they mean (when i studied Unix administration i
> > encountered this). some people, like me, learn better/faster by
> interacting
> > with other people - because you can ask the person to "clarify" or " break
> > it down".
> >
> > if you don't have the time, or just don't care to answer questions from
> > someone else, that is fine. i didn't realize how much it would irratate
> > people that really know physics questions about physics. it must be a
> burden
> > to SHARE knowledge for some folks. i didn't realize that i already have to
> > know physics as much as everyone else on this list to ask questions about
> it
> > - but that is how i am led to believe. i guess it is easier to call a
> > person's ideas and thoughts "clueless" or "meaningless" rather than just
> > clarifying WHY they are wrong.
> >
> > no negative input, please - there is nothing to learn from it. some people
> > haven't learned that yet.
> >
> > Justin
> >
> > ps- i came on this list to learn just a little more and to SHARE ideas,
> and
> > to my dissapointment i have wasted my time. it seems that this list is
> > stagnate (by no means a personal attack on anyone) when it comes to
> SHARING
> > *NEW* ideas. later...
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Hi Justin,
> > Here is my suggestion for finding out what energy is.  Go to the nearest
> > Barnes and Noble or other large bookstore and go to the physics
> > section.  Then find the Lectures on Physics by Richard Feynman.  Turn to
> > the first part of chapter 4 and read "What is Energy"  perhaps this will
> > help you.  If you find the reading interesting you might look at other
> > sections of the book.