How is physics taught and learned. Teaching strategies, class examples and demonstrations; learning resources, career advice, etc. For explicit problems, use the 'homework' tag instead.
Questions tagged [education]
1220 questions
21
votes
10 answers
How do you start learning physics by yourself?
I think this question has its place here because I am sure some of you are "self-taught experts" and can guide me a little through this process.
Considering that :
I don't have any physics scholar background at all.
I have a little math background…
PhaDaPhunk
- 387
20
votes
5 answers
Why is introductory physics not taught in a more "axiomatic" way?
I am engineer who was taught the standard four semester, two-year physics courses from Halliday and Resnick's book. However, after reading the insightful answers here (e.g. Ron Maimon's awesome explanation of $v^2$ term in kinetic energy) and some…
13
votes
3 answers
What is the physics problem whose answer is $e$ in the power of $\pi$ despite all given numbers being unity?
A few years ago my school physics teacher told us, his students, that there is an elegant physics problem in which all given numbers are unity, but the answer is $e$ in the power of $π$, that is,
$e^\pi$,
where e = 2.718... is the base of the…
Mitsuko
- 1,559
7
votes
1 answer
Physics First: Where is Science Education Today?
Leon Lederman, a Nobel Prize winner in Physics and former director of Fermilab was a champion in 'Physics First', a principle in science education proposing Physics as the first course in science followed by chemistry, then biology. Makes sense…
docscience
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5
votes
2 answers
Physical examples where changing the order of limits yields wrong result
In mathematics it is generally not allowed to change order of limits. For example it is not always true for a sequence of functions $f_n$, that $\int_a^b \left(\sum_{n=0}^\infty f_n(x) \right) dx = \sum_{n=0}^\infty \left(\int_a^b f_n(x) dx\right)$.…
Stephan Kulla
- 305
5
votes
0 answers
Is there a theoretical physics masters that accepts mathematics graduates?
I plan to graduate with an honours (four year) degree in philosophy and a general (three year) degree in mathematics. Are there any physics graduate programs that might admit me if I were to apply?
For context: My plan-A is to work in academic…
Hal
- 873
3
votes
4 answers
Does physics need an epsilon-delta definition for the concept of limit?
This question has been inspired by a question asked on Mathoverflow about "effectiveness of (epsilon, delta) definition". Most mathematicians have a strong opinion about the need of such definitions: They are a must for mathematics as a discipline…
Amir Asghari
- 131
2
votes
0 answers
Which math modules to specialize in as a mathematics undergraduate if I want to study theoretical physics at masters?
I am currently studying Mathematics as third year student, which is the last year in our french based system in Algeria. But I would like to pursue a masters degree in theoretical physics. The main courses I have completed so far are linear algebra,…
Fnechz
- 21
2
votes
0 answers
Tutoring medicine students for their physics exam
As this was flagged as too broad I have cross posted this on Physics Forums because it seems to rather lead to a discussion instead of a straight answer.
I am a pure physicist (M.Sc.) and on the side I do tutoring. Right now I have medicine…
Martin Ueding
- 8,409
2
votes
3 answers
About learning physics
Can I learn physics and engineering even if I have the maths knowledge of a 4th grader? I am familiar with maths but I still struggle with a lot, but I do want to study physics and electronic like electrical engineer.
Pauline
- 21
2
votes
0 answers
Research based methods of introducing age appropriate physics
I'd like to start by saying I know this question could seem an opinion question. After browsing this site for a half hour however, what stood out was that everyone gave well researched answers. I have a minimal physics background, but am a science…
Thinking Mom
- 21
2
votes
0 answers
What phenoma have "intuitive" explanations which are completely wrong?
Some phenomena in physics defy intuition. Others have very intuitive explanations which you could explain easily to a layman. Sometimes, these intuitive explanations are simply wrong.
What phenomena in physics have intuitive, but totally wrong,…
TypeIA
- 318
1
vote
0 answers
I want to do a PhD in Quantum Computing. Which universities in English-speaking countries have prominent research groups in this field?
Most universities I checked have a Quantum Information group, and they usually mention the term "Quantum Computing" somewhere on their website, but it's not very clear how much research is actually done in Quantum Computing.
I would like to study at…
QuantumC
- 11
1
vote
1 answer
Creating Visual Displays of Calculations and Solutions
In the late 80s or 90s, I remember watching video online of a series of lectures in a college physics course at UCAL. One of the sponsors was the Annenberg Foundation. Most of the time the video was shots in the lecture hall, but there were also…
to6y
- 13
1
vote
1 answer
How can I turn a pinewood derby project into a physics lesson?
My 8yo son is in the Cub Scouts.
He has a pinewood derby coming up next month and I would like to take this project and turn it into a fun, physics lesson for him.
For those not familiar, a pinewood derby is where you shape a block of wood into a…
ray023
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