I have used many ploys to start a course in introductory physics, but one of the more interesting ones was to spend 20 minutes describing some of the curves and shapes that we would encounter in our year together. The students saw parabolas, catenaries, hyperbolas, cycloids, circles, ellipses, and helices, and were shown examples, either live or on slides, of these shapes. The world of physics is three-dimensional, and students need to see what curves and trajectories span it. Once they see these shapes in nature, they look at the world around them in fresh ways.
REFERENCES
1.
Thomas B.
Greenslade
Jr., “Nineteenth-century textbook illustrations XXXII: Whispering galleries,”
Phys. Teach.
18
, 52
–53
(Jan. 1980
).2.
Thomas B.
Greenslade
Jr. and Stephen G.
Heisler
, “Stage lighting instruments,”
Phys. Teach.
13
, 548
–551
(Dec. 1975
).3.
Thomas B.
Greenslade
Jr., “Nineteenth-century textbook illustrations LIII: Capillary phenomena,”
Phys. Teach.
30
, 300
–301
(May 1992
).4.
Thomas B.
Greenslade
Jr., “Suspension bridges,”
Phys. Teach.
12
, 7
–13
(Jan. 1974
).© 2013 American Association of Physics Teachers.
2013
American Association of Physics Teachers
AAPT members receive access to The Physics Teacher and the American Journal of Physics as a member benefit. To learn more about this member benefit and becoming an AAPT member, visit the Joining AAPT page.