Re: [Phys-l] Video Encyclopedia of Physics Demos

[Karim Diff <karim.diff@sfcc.edu>]

My experience has been with the original Video Encyclopedia on 30 cm 
Laser Disks and I don't know if anything was changed when the collection
was put on DVD. Unless you are blessed with a huge recurring budget, I 
would not recommend buying the set. There are probably many more useful 
things you could do with that much money.
Spending the money just so that you can watch the demos and reproduce 
them in class sounds like an expensive video rental fee:-) If you can 
find someone within driving distance who has the collection, you're 
better off visiting them and spending a day watching the demos.For one 
thing, there are more demos in there than you can possibly show in 
class, unless all class time is spent on demos.
I don't know the Hewitt set, but I have seen him "in action" (he comes 
often to our Florida AAPT section meetings) and his demos are often "low 
tech" (i.e. easy to reproduce) and get the point across. So they could 
be a better option for you if the school is willing to spend the money.

Someone else alluded to that, and I also subscribe to the idea that 
while demos are a nice way to catch students' attention or illustrate a 
particular idea they need to be carefully used in class to actually 
promote thinking and not be viewed as entertainment only. But that's 
another topic of discussion.

Karim Diff

Jeff Bracken wrote:
> A question from a new physics teacher....
>
> Does anyone have any thoughts (good, bad, neutral) regarding the multi-DVD 
> set called "The Video Encyclopedia of Physics Demos" ?  The website says 
> that the entire series will cost $3,000.
>
> I have also seen bits of the Paul Hewitt lectures that can be 
> purchased.  It looks like Hewitt's would be cheaper, but perhaps not as 
> exhaustive as the demos contained in the Encyclopedia series.
>
> My goal is to see these different demos, construct the equipment, and then 
> perform the demos in the classroom.
>
> I don't know if our school would purchase these, but it would be great to 
> know if one set is better.
>
> Thanks in Advance,
>
> Jeff Bracken				
> bracken5@columbus.rr.com
> Physics & Chemistry Teacher
> Westerville North HS
> Westerville, Ohio
>
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