Re: plug and chug

[Jack Uretsky <jlu@HEP.ANL.GOV>]

Hi John-
IMO both John Clement's and this amusing problem have too much detail, so
that the real point of the problem may easily get lost in the p&c aspects.
If you get hung up on whether the "friend" pushes the skier "forward" or
pushes "on the skier's back", where the real issue is whether the push
force is hard enough to overcome static friction, think of the
opportunities that these problems provide for failing to test on the real
issue.

John Clement's problem is a p&c problem in disguise.  I agree that it is
better than a p&c problem and has merit as a vehicle for group solution.
It would tend to lead the group to "discover" the underlying p&c.  The
Anent problem would probably best be used as a vehicle for discussion in a
lab setting.

I suggest that the KISS principle should be used for the design of non-p&c
problems.  Here is another example, taken from TMU.

A plane dropping bales of hay to snow-stranded cattle is in level flight.
If the plane continues to move in a straight line with constant speed,
what is the path that the pilot sees for a falling bale?  What kind of
path does a farmer on the ground see.  (The plane's speed and altitude are
low enough that air resistance on the bales can be neglected).




On Sun, 28 Jul 2002, John Mallinckrodt wrote:

> Another suggestion for a non plug'n chug type problem:
>
>    Comment in detail on this problem solution
>
>       http://images.ucomics.com/comics/ft/2002/ft020728.gif
>
>    What's good about it?  What's not so good about it?
>
> --
> John Mallinckrodt        mailto:ajm@csupomona.edu
> Cal Poly Pomona          http://www.csupomona.edu/~ajm

--
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                     <The 5-MINUTE ILIAD and Other Classics>