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Re: Teaching Conceptual Physics



Abby asked:

> I had occasions when I had felt guilty
> > trying to push
> > students through an enormous volume of materials,
> > nor do I know if that
> > is realistically possible. So, my question is as
> > follows: Some of you
> > are teaching this course over a semester period,
> > what do you do with the
> >
> > course?
 
[The following is a re-creation of a response which was apparently lost.  My aplolgies to anyone who has seen it already - CH]
 
A one-semester conceptual physics is by its nature supposed to be an enriching experience, even fun, something which students will learn something about physics and science from without being expected to master anything.  This is incompatible with a goal of "covering a syllabus."  If your department requires that you cover all of physics they should allow 3 or 4 semesters for it!
 
When I taught it I covered some of the basics - force and motion, energy, electric charge - and then spent the rest of the semester focusing on topics of special interest to the students.  This was at a school where most of the students were attending because of their interest in aviation, so we covered thrust, jet engines, air friction, lift, buoyancy and space navigation (changing orbits and escape velocity.)  In the process we touched on thermodynamics, universal gravitation and potential wells.  Nobody became an expert, but the course was a great success in that we all had fun and we all learned something. 
 
What more can you ask from a course like this?
 
Chris Horton


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