From: Bill Taylor (bt4_1284@yahoo.com)
Date: Thu Oct 30 2003 - 20:36:18 PST
Message-ID: <20031031043618.96830.qmail@web40414.mail.yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 30 Oct 2003 20:36:18 -0800 (PST) From: Bill Taylor <bt4_1284@yahoo.com> Subject: Recognizing the variables and assumptions in word problems
There seems to be one area of physics teaching that is troublesome for
many students, but I have not seen anything written or described to me how
to help studetns with it. I refer to the fact that many physics problems
are the (dreaded) "word problems". It seems that many of my students,
even some of the best and brightest, have great difficulty recognizing the
variables and the patterns in word problems and translating those concepts
from one context to another.
What I have done, with some success, if to teach them that they can "key
in" to certain key phrases, for example, "constant speed", "horizontal" or
"parallel" as indicators of key assumptions that are being written into
the problem.
Still, many students have trouble with two things: 1) visualizing the
physical situation from the written description, and 2) discovering what
variables are present.
I am aware that some of the students have problems with this area because
they do not actually understand the concepts previously covered. Still,
one will always have students with a less-than-perfect conceptual
understanding, and in fact, solving problemms is something that should
(and can) help them understand, for example, that friction is related to
the normal force.
Any suggestions from list members?
=====
Bill Taylor
Drew High School
San Francisco
415 661 9667
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