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Re: Why Physics First?



At 13:37 -0500 10/10/02, RAUBER, JOEL wrote:

If the physical science
course is done "right" in 9th grade (and the 70/30 mix on physics versus
chemistry was a wild guess based on old memory and there are many topics at
that level which could be categorized either way.) then I see little
advantage (to possibley negative advantage as Mike E. pointed out) to
elimnating physics from the senior year.

I basically agree with this. I don't think anybody was suggesting
that physics be *eliminated* from the senior year, only that it be
made the first course in the normal three-course sequence, then
during junior and senior years, as Mike described, students can take
supplemental courses at a higher level, or enrichment courses, like
astronomy, or optics, or environmental chemistry, or bioethics, or
whatever.

I would have no objection to a physical science course as you
describe, with a full academic content. I just haven't seen very many
of them out there.

Hugh
--

Hugh Haskell
<mailto:haskell@ncssm.edu>
<mailto:hhaskell@mindspring.com>

(919) 467-7610

Let's face it. People use a Mac because they want to, Windows because they
have to..
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This posting is the position of the writer, not that of SUNY-BSC, NAU or the AAPT.