The decades following World War II were times of rapid expansion and change for physics and for education. 1 The expansion in education was driven by population factors such as the GI Bill of 1944 and the baby boom, by the increased recognition of the importance to the nation of education in the sciences, and by the availability of federal funds for support of educational projects. A driving force in physics education was the leadership of prominent physicists and physics teachers in the creation of new physics curricula at both precollege and college levels. The postwar years saw the development of a whole acronym zoo of curricula at the elementary, secondary, and postsecondary levels, various influential textbooks, and the establishment of the Commission on College Physics. It was in that atmosphere of curriculum change that Arnold Arons undertook to bring improvement at all levels to the teaching of physics. (See...
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
1 May 2008
May 01 2008
Turning points in physics education
Arnold Arons, physicist and physics teacher, played a pivotal role in the postwar development of physics education.
Physics Today 61 (5), 72–73 (2008);