Physics Teaching Resources
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Ana Said:
what would be possible innovatory ways of teaching physics ?We Answered:
Your English is terrible.Ways to teach physics well....
1. Use real scenarios - do a bunch of roller coaster problems for kinematics and then go to Cedar Point and take data.
2. Doing the math and problems can be tasking for some kids, so make it fun. Two ways to do that are to make problems violent and gruesome (darts being thrown at puppies...) or to use whiteboards in classes. For some reason students love doing problems on white boards instead of paper and pencil. You can make whiteboards using tile board or marker board from Home Depot/Lowes. It's about 10$ for 32 sq. feet. Then just cut it into 32 squares (1x1).
3. Good lab equipment can help, if you can do lab experiments to verify equations and also to verify realities (friction, error, measurement precision...) it can make a problem real to a student.
4. Any form of creativity, I had 9th graders make treasure maps for displacement and distance differences.
5. Use nearby Universities, they allow high schoolers to go on tours of the labs. Have you ever seen a piece of polystyrene attached to a DNA strand and then controlled by a laser? Or have you seen a quantum computer? The kids will like it, and they won't learn how a quantum computer works (even though they try very hard to explain it), but they will hear things that they recognize and they can see applications of stuff that they know.
Gilbert Said:
What is a good resource for self-teaching honors level physics?We Answered:
Try another approachSara Said:
Resources for reviewing high school physics?We Answered:
Well, if you want to review and do some questions for high school physics, I would recommend 'Physics, The Easy Way' which is available for free at your local library, assuming you've got a library card. Another great book is 'Physics for the Utterly Confused' - I myself have used it and found it a great help.Good luck.
Ray Said:
I want to teach myself physics. Where can I find good resources?We Answered:
There are many branches of physics. It depends on exactly what branch you are interested in. For a very comprehensive guide, check out Wikipedia:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physics#Maj…
I am personally interested in theoretical astrophysics and particle physics. These two are extremely hot right now in the physics world, with enourmous academic resources being devoted to the study of String Theory. This is because String Theory purports to unify two branches of physics that are widely accepted as true, and yet conflict with each other. These conflicting branches of physics are:
1. Quantum Physics
This is the study of the very small (molecules / atoms / quarks etc.), and it has been experimentally verified and widely accepted. But it only accurately describes things on very small scales.
2. General Relativity
This is the study of the very large (planets, stars, galaxies), and it too has been repeatedly verified. But it only describes things on non-microscopic scales.
Why should nature be divided between two totally different theories of matter? This seems to indicate a problem, that our knowledge of the world is still far from complete. A single "unified" theory should be found which unites the two, and this Unified Field Theory has been the "holy grail" of physicists ever since Einstein began the search years ago. One leading theory is widely believed to meet this challenge: String Theory. It unifies the theories of the very large and the very small, mathematically anyway. Its only weakness is that it lacks direct experimental confirmation. But there are indirect observations, such as the distribution of stars throughout space being an interpretation of quantum processes (the theory being that all matter everywhere was once compacted into a microscopic region and then expanded during the Big Bang, retaining in some way at least some of the properties it had when it was extremely small).
The most influential physicists can be found here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H-index
..."influential" meaning that their research is extensively cited in academic papers and journals.
If you want to get a head start, you should start reading books targeted for common people (as opposed to mathematical professionals). There are many, many books like this. But I would point you to the following ones to get you started:
1. The Fabric of the Cosmos (by Brian Greene)
2. The Elegant Universe (by Brian Greene)
3. A Brief History of Time (by Stephen Hawking)
4. Six Easy Pieces (by Richard Feynman)
5. Parallel Worlds (by Michio Kaku)
I recommend that you start with #1 above, if theoretical particle and astro physics are your thing. Greene has a keen ability to explain complex subjects to non-physics majors in a way that most people can understand.
A search on Amazon.com for any of the above titles will allow you to buy the book (new or used); also, you will likely find Hawking's and Feynman's books in any library, where you can read it for free.
One thing to remember is that the above books do not need to be read or understood in their entirety. If you feel like you do not understand something, skip past it until you get to something you do understand. There is a wealth of fascinating information that will blow your mind if you just invest the time, so don't get intimidated from reading if you run into a road block.
Good luck! And don't give up until your mind is dizzy with amazement about the nature of the universe around you -- it must have that effect, or you haven't gotten it yet.
Shelly Said:
What resources could help me learn advanced physics without attending college or a university?We Answered:
Well, there are plenty of textbooks out there that would help you out. A lot of non-college bookstores have simpler books that contain a lot of information. Also, there are websites that have tutorials on plenty of topics in physics. However, you cannot learn everything through books and websites, but you could quite a lot. Go to the link I provided for a list of websites with physics tutorials:http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22…
Norman Said:
Physics Intro for Kids?We Answered:
Robert Krampf's Experiment of the Week is a good source of experiments. You can sign up for his emails and search the archive at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/krampf/mes…The CSIRO's Double Helix Club publishes Scientriffic, a bimonthly magazine, which is aimed at lower and middle primary students. You can also download a teacher's guide for each issue from the Scientriffic web site. CSIRO also publishes Science by Email, a free weekly newsletter. Each issue includes a short science news story, an activity, and more.