Morality is not determined by the church you attend nor the faith you embrace. It is determined by the quality of your character and the positive impact you have on those you meet along your journey
Monday, November 19, 2012
Open Letter to the President about Physics education.
I want to pose a question some of your readers may be able to answer....since Quantum Physics was,as I understand it,originally proposed(and signed off on by Einstein)in 1927.....what took so long for it to be taught in schools.....can you say dereliction of duty...?
"Quantum Physics" is not a thing, not a specific set of facts. It's an expanding field of study. Einstein published his explanation of the photoelectric effect in terms of quantum theory in 1905, and received the Nobel Prize for it in 1921. Sin-Itiro Tomonaga, Julian Schwinger and Richard Feynman were jointly awarded with a Nobel prize in physics in 1965 for their work on quantum electrodynamics. Work on quantum chromodynamics is ongoing.
I'm not in touch with how much of this is taught in present-day US schools. My last direct experience with highschool was in the 1950s, in Canada. I don't recall any quantum theory, or calculus, in the curriculum but there were libraries. I picked up stuff from Raymond Anderson's Romping through mathematics in Grade 7, Sylvanus P. Thompson's Calculus Made Easy in Grade 10, George Gamow's One Two Three … Infinity and his Mr. Tompkins books.
Nowadays there's no lack of books on physics for the lay person. One example is Richard A. Muller's Physics for future presidents : the science behind the headlines. But getting this stuff into school curricula? I didn't find http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physics_education very encouraging. But if everybody reading this were to run for their local school board and get out the vote in 2014 and 2016, we might eventually get somewhere.
Max Planck won the Nobel Prize for his proposals on quantum physics in 1918. Physics was taught in my Catholic alma mater, and my nephew is loving his physics studies in a public high school.
Please tell me he is wrong and that modern physics is taught here otherwise I see a homeschooling in my future. As i watched the video i had flashbacks of tests and exams and projects i did in grade 10,11 and 12 back in the 80's north of the border.
Signed - Future homeschooling Canadian living south of the Mason Dixon.
Well, if the state Republicans have their way (and they will) Michigan's public education system will be completely destroyed and they're also out to gut public funding for police and firemen. It's the GOP's revenge against teachers and public employees who might be in unions. What is wrong with this country? Any state that has a Republican governor and a Republican legislature is headed for disaster, brought to the rest of us by the dumbest of the dumb. Beaglemom
I hope it's a regional thing or we need some serious education reform. My kids have physics, earth science, biology, geometry, algebra, calculus along with physical education, arts, social studies humanities, and music, and they're in public schools. Watching this clip took me back to high school and one great teacher who taught us to be curious, gave us the tools and great lesson plans to make learning Science fun and relevant to our lives.
I want to pose a question some of your readers may be able to answer....since Quantum Physics was,as I understand it,originally proposed(and signed off on by Einstein)in 1927.....what took so long for it to be taught in schools.....can you say dereliction of duty...?
ReplyDelete"Quantum Physics" is not a thing, not a specific set of facts. It's an expanding field of study. Einstein published his explanation of the photoelectric effect in terms of quantum theory in 1905, and received the Nobel Prize for it in 1921. Sin-Itiro Tomonaga, Julian Schwinger and Richard Feynman were jointly awarded with a Nobel prize in physics in 1965 for their work on quantum electrodynamics. Work on quantum chromodynamics is ongoing.
DeleteI'm not in touch with how much of this is taught in present-day US schools. My last direct experience with highschool was in the 1950s, in Canada. I don't recall any quantum theory, or calculus, in the curriculum but there were libraries. I picked up stuff from Raymond Anderson's Romping through mathematics in Grade 7, Sylvanus P. Thompson's Calculus Made Easy in Grade 10, George Gamow's One Two Three … Infinity and his Mr. Tompkins books.
Nowadays there's no lack of books on physics for the lay person. One example is Richard A. Muller's Physics for future presidents : the science behind the headlines. But getting this stuff into school curricula? I didn't find http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physics_education very encouraging. But if everybody reading this were to run for their local school board and get out the vote in 2014 and 2016, we might eventually get somewhere.
Max Planck won the Nobel Prize for his proposals on quantum physics in 1918. Physics was taught in my Catholic alma mater, and my nephew is loving his physics studies in a public high school.
DeleteAlways remember that gravity can kill you even if you don't believe in it. Same for the rest of physics. And geology, chemistry, biology, etc.
ReplyDeletePlease tell me he is wrong and that modern physics is taught here otherwise I see a homeschooling in my future. As i watched the video i had flashbacks of tests and exams and projects i did in grade 10,11 and 12 back in the 80's north of the border.
ReplyDeleteSigned - Future homeschooling Canadian living south of the Mason Dixon.
Well, if the state Republicans have their way (and they will) Michigan's public education system will be completely destroyed and they're also out to gut public funding for police and firemen. It's the GOP's revenge against teachers and public employees who might be in unions. What is wrong with this country? Any state that has a Republican governor and a Republican legislature is headed for disaster, brought to the rest of us by the dumbest of the dumb.
ReplyDeleteBeaglemom
Screw physics ... I am just waiting for Halcro's post.
ReplyDeleteI hope it's a regional thing or we need some serious education reform. My kids have physics, earth science, biology, geometry, algebra, calculus along with physical education, arts, social studies humanities, and music, and they're in public schools.
ReplyDeleteWatching this clip took me back to high school and one great teacher who taught us to be curious, gave us the tools and great lesson plans to make learning Science fun and relevant to our lives.