Why Does Your Body Ache After You Drink

not is to understand

Leo a tweet today in which a student is glad to have read a popular book before starting with the issue in his career (of Physics). A couple of weeks I consulted a high school student did not understand the topic of wave interference. His notes began, "are two waves of the same frequency and amplitude and same phase." Perhaps the waves of different frequencies do not interfere? Could put many examples the same phenomenon: the illusion figure, regardless of whether they really understand the phenomenon that one calculates. A problem affecting the teaching of science (at least in physics). Well, I find a problem, may come from any conception of teaching that propagates only from the ability to formulate mathematically a phenomenon and operate with ease this representation is called the phenomenon. If there is disagree with it.

In my opinion there are three steps well separated that there would never be forgotten: (i) The natural phenomenon, (ii) the model is the phenomenon and (iii) the mathematical formulation model (and subsequent calculations.)

The real question before was, I was the student the "waves of different frequencies interfere? The answer is that yes, of course interfere, but it is much more difficult to calculate the formula that gives the amplitude of the wave at every point and instant. Well, that answer is not clearly gave his teacher, confusing the calculation with the phenomenon (at that time at least, probably in another context clearly understood the difference.) The class of the fascinating subject (to my truth that I find beautiful) interference of waves was limited to "prove" the formula of interference in one dimension the case of same frequency and same amplitude. From there to do a couple of academic problems, which can be done with a formula as a particular case. How will generate scientific vocations to the teaching approach? Today is especially bloody, because there is no need to mount complex experiments to enjoy the events, you can find all events in the network.

Indeed, the topic of wave interference seemed very instructive the following video, in less than 4 minutes presents the experimental system, the basic phenomenon and its statistics in a range of situations (well over which can be easily calculated).