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Physicists Work on Physics' Uncool Image

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the centripetal-not-centrifugal dept.

WindowsTroll writes "Since it seems that science doesn't appeal to the youth of today, physicists are trying to make physics kid friendly. From the article, 'Bicycle stunts, rap music and modern dance -- all in the name of Einstein.' I am particularly interested in the modern dance, thinking that this is probably a better approach of studying oscillations than the springs that I used when I was in college."

8 of 362 comments (clear)

  1. Physics and Geeks by Daxx_61 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    It all links to the reasons that smart kids are so unpopular at school. Maybe because being smart is seen as an attempt to suck up to the teachers, or picking on nerdy kids is a defence mechanism to cope with lack of ability, but Physics Expert = Geek in many people's eyes.

    --
    Quoth the server, "404."
  2. Good intentions but... by jerometremblay · · Score: 5, Interesting

    To make sciences look cool, you need to fix the problem that causes nerds to be unpopular.

    As if

  3. Bring back the cool experiments by grahamsz · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Things you probably cant do nowadays but we did in high school (which was only 8 yrs ago)

    1) Play with radioactive stuff

    2) Use transformers to run some 14kV distribution lines up and down the classroom to show the decrease in cable loss

    3) Show that the high voltage back-emf spikes from a relay closing can jam your nerve signals and leave you unable to move (ala taser)

    4) Look inside classmates with ultrasound

    5) Find out how much voltage it takes to blow up a capacitor

    Even then our teacher had a closet full of 'special equipment' that he'd smuggle home every time the inspectors came round to visit.

    I loved physics and i can assure you that 90% of my high school classmates concurred that it was better than chemsitry or biology or social "science". The experiments make it fun.

    1. Re:Bring back the cool experiments by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

      my current physics teacher does a lot of this and his classes are always packed, especially the high level ones. last year as an end of the year physics project he let us go wild, my group built a gauss coil gun, another group built a trebuchet (which we used for a lab this year). He is the only teacher I ever had that uses computers correctly and for educational use. He is especially great after natural disasters because he has dual masters in Geology and physics (I have no clue why he works in a public school) and his lectures about the disasters are about 1000x more informative and interesting then any major newsmedia Ive read.

  4. Re:What? by Lindsay+Lohan · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Real physicists like Stephen Hawking... are very cool!
    I couldn't agree more. God playing dice, black holes, "A Brief History of Time"... these are not stale topics but a newcomers to physics and experts alike might find SH riveting. Check out his lectures, they're not dry, but alive and well-written.
  5. ....it's the teachers. Definitely. by trainsnpep · · Score: 3, Interesting
    As a current physics student (crazy physics idiot #3 actually) in IB HL Physics, I've gotta say this: It's all about the teachers. The teachers can make it interesting, or they can make it hell. One teacher in my school is the nicest person in the world, but she can't teach. The two physics teachers I've had are great. They encourage us to do experiments.

    Three of my friends and I wanted to take pictures of exploding balloons. So, we built a circuit to trigger a flash (a strobe actually), and borrowed a camera. We got some amazing pictures out of it (http://www.benza.us/group4/. See second- and third-to-last), while at the same time ended up with extra credit we never intended on. We even ended up doing a short lesson on it.

    To make physics cool, all you need are teachers who make it fun. When it's fun, it's cool.

    Prior to the balloons, we made a potato cannon. Our next project is a ballistic pendulum...If that's not bringing cool and physics together, I don't know what is.

    --
    --<Mike>--
  6. Re:I disagree by Stevyn · · Score: 3, Interesting

    My sophomore chemistry teacher once did a fun demonstration. He attached a rubber hose to the propane supply and the other end to a small funnel. He dipped the wide end of the funnel into a shallow dish of soapy water. When he turned on the propane, large propane bubbles formed and sank because propane is heavier than air. On the floor was a candle and the propane bubbles then burst into flames.

    He did this while playing the song "Great Balls of Fire". He was a cool teacher.

  7. Things that seem to work by Somnus · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I'm working on my PhD, and teach. What has worked for me:

    * Demos, demos, demos. The louder, brighter and more mysterious-seeming, the better.

    * Some students are into technology, others are into cosmology and exotic topics. Draw connections between their lives and physics, esp. the possibilities stemming from new developments.

    * Be very crisp in your own treatment, so the students see the beauty through complication.

    You are not going to achieve social engineering through physics. The goal is to give bright students interested in science something to think about, and hopefully excite their imaginations if they are so inclined.