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Re: [Phys-l] PER folks and units of g




1) Bad terminology will make problem (A) worse, but good terminology
will not solve problem (A), not by a long shot.

2) Making a fuss over the distinction of m/s^2 versus N/kg is not sufficient to solve problem (B), let alone problem (A).
There is more to physics than dimensional analysis.

It is not a fuss over dimensional analysis. Using g as the field constant in N/kg is very important to reducing confusion in understanding. When calculating the force, F=mg makes sense if g=9.8n/kg, but using acceleration doesn't make sense to students. They see it as being nonsensical because the object is not necessarily accelerating. The acceleration units are extremely confusing. I can remember being puzzled by F=mg and thinking that it made no sense because the object was standing still. The resemblence to NTN2 is obvious, and can cause great confusion.

John M. Clement
Houston, TX