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Re: [Phys-L] The great barrrier (was Proportional reasoning)



Thinking Science starts with understanding variables. So perhaps the
problem is more basic, the understanding of variables. I doubt that it is
just a simple aversion to using letters. It most probably is a deeper
problem. So just making them use letters will not fix it.

John M. Clement
Houston, TX


I's not just that, in my experience. The great barrier seems
to be the
use of algebra. Even at the third year college level, after
a bunch of
calculus courses, I've had students who rebel at the use of
letter symbols
instead of numbers. While I agree that numerical examples
can oftern be
helpful, the transition to symbolic reasoning seems not to be
sufficiently
accomplished in most math (and physics, and chemistry) courses. That
omission, then leaves the student unable to generalize the
insight that
could be gained from specific numerical examples.