ACtrafficengr
Civil/Environmental
A physics First conference was held recently at Cornell, discussing the benefits of making Physics a 9th grade class in the US, rather than 11th or 12th. See and
What do you think the benefits would be to our profession?
I think a lot of students get burned out on science during junior year chemistry, and never take physics. Yet Physics has a lot more relevance, I think, to everyday life. The average car driver needs to know more about inertia than fuel-air stoichiometry. Could Physics First lead to better drivers?
Closer to home, could it increase interest among high school students in science and engineering as careers? I think it may, simply because it would help show the relevance of the sciences to their lives. Also, since Newtonian Physics can be seen and felt and heard, it could be a better introduction to science than chemistry or geology or perhaps even biology.
Any other thoughts?
What do you think the benefits would be to our profession?
I think a lot of students get burned out on science during junior year chemistry, and never take physics. Yet Physics has a lot more relevance, I think, to everyday life. The average car driver needs to know more about inertia than fuel-air stoichiometry. Could Physics First lead to better drivers?
Closer to home, could it increase interest among high school students in science and engineering as careers? I think it may, simply because it would help show the relevance of the sciences to their lives. Also, since Newtonian Physics can be seen and felt and heard, it could be a better introduction to science than chemistry or geology or perhaps even biology.
Any other thoughts?