Teaching Introductory Physics

This book is an invaluable resource for physics teachers. It contains an updated version of the author's A Guide to Introductory Physics Teaching (1990), Homework and Test Questions (1994), and a previously unpublished monograph "Introduction to Classical Conservation Laws."

A basic, non-mathematical textbook for non-science students in secondary school or college. The book is based on Robert Karplus' many years of research on how beginners think about physics. In the "modeling approach" students explore and test simple analog, working and mathematical models for physical phenomena. The models provide a clear, understandable transition to the key principles and theories of physics. The book begins with the basic concepts of relative motion, reference frames, interaction, systems, and a descriptive overview of energy transfer. Subsequent chapters develop the details of temperature and heat, thermal (internal) energy, forces and work, electrical energy and electrical circuits, velocity and acceleration, Newton's Laws, motion near the surface of the earth, periodic and circular motion, celestial mechanics and gravity, pressure and kinetic theory, light and sound, waves, and modern physics (Bohr model and the basics of quantum mechanics). The "Modeling Instruction" approach is used in secondary schools throughout the US (see modeling.asu.edu). This book is especially useful in conjunction with (or as preparation for) the study of chemistry.

Written by one of the leaders of the Physics Education Research (PER) movement, Teaching Physics is a book for anyone interested in learning how to become a more effective physics teacher. Rather than reviewing specific topics in physics with hints for how to teach them and lists of common student difficulties, Teaching Physics presents a variety of tools for improving both the teaching and learning of physics--from new kinds of homework and exam problems, to surveys for figuring out what has happened in your class, to tools for taking and analyzing data using computers and video. Teaching Physics is a companion guide to using the Physics Suite, an integrated collection of research-based instructional materials for lecture, laboratory, recitation, and workshop/studio environments. But even if you don't use a single element from the Suite, Teaching Physics can help you enhance your students' learning experience.

A guide to teaching introductory physics, from high school to calculus-based college courses, this instructional tool presents systematic observations based upon research into how physics students come to learn and understand physical concepts, models and lines of reasoning. Includes many examples of test questions and homework problems.

This collection is confined to an extremely fundamental level of subject matter common to the great majority of introductory physics courses. Questions range from simple to fairly sophisticated, extending over a variety of modes that emerge as essential components in the learning and understanding of physics. These modes include forming and applying basic concepts, operational definition, verbalization, connection of abstractions to everyday experience, checking for internal consistency and interpreting results.

Introductory physics attracts a wide variety of students, with different backgrounds, levels of preparedness, and academic destinations. To many, the course is one of the most daunting in the science curriclum, full of arcane principles that are difficult to grasp. To others, it is one of the most highly anticipated -the first step on the path to the upper reaches of scientific inquiry. In their years as instructors and as editors of The Physics Teacher, Clifford E. Swartz and the late Thomas Miner developed and encountered many innovative and effective ways of introducing students to the fundamental principles of physics. Teaching Introductory Physics brings these strategies, insights and techniques to you in a unique, convenient volume. This is a reference and a tutorial book for teachers of an introductory physics course at any level. It has review articles on most of the topics of introductory physics, providing background information and suggestions about presentation and relative importance. Whether you are teaching physics for the first time or are an experienced instructor, Teaching Introductory Physics will prove to be an exceptionally helpful classroom companion. The book should be particularly useful for graduate students teaching for the first time and for research physicists who have not taught the introductory course recently. Teaching Introductory Physics gives you access to the cumulative expertise of the world's most dedicated physics instructors-not just Professor Swartz and Miner, but many of the contributors and subscribers to the Physics Teacher. it is sure to enhance your teaching skills, helping you to give your students the basic knowledge

This widely admired standalone guide is packed with creative tips on how to enhance and expand your physics class instruction techniques. It's an invaluable companion for novice and veteran professors teaching any physics course.