Course Description
How Things Work course teaches "hard" science by making it relevant and accessible. The full introductory physics, with mathematics at the level of algebra and trigonometry is enlivened by examples from everyday devices and experiences. Our lecture-discussion format includes assisting student designed independent projects that acquire more scientific/mathematical sophistication through many stages of paper development and revision. We usually cover mechanics (the science of motion and its causes) as well as Electricity & Magnetism up to basic electronics. But enlivening is real: for example, ice skating and bumper cars exemplify mechanics; static electricity is taught using Xerographic copying as its application. We learn the theory of Maxwell's Equations in seeing how trash is sorted in a recycling crusher, pollution trapped in smokestack cleaners, and high tension electric distribution is designed to save money. This year we experiment with becoming a Teaching-Learning Community; while the nominal aim would be to have as many as half of our meetings out of the classroom, we will work together to design the trade-off between covering science topics and learning "from Life." One TLC component is already clear, participation in such activities of the Institute for Sciences as seminar talks, study groups and monthly dialogues, especially all that relate to social justice, environmental issues and sustainability. Our learning goals include all five Natural Science school aims for Division I:
1. Empowering your own topic & paper
2. Understanding how sciences work
3. Learning their social contexts -- &effects; especially those about the environment, social justice & sustainability
4. Developing quantitative skills (mathematics. YES!)
5. Acquiring presentation skills, especially for writing a science paper.
The textbook will be Louis A. Bloomfield's "How Things Work: The Physics of Everyday Life, 6th edition" --as supplemented by problems from the 2nd edition.
The aims of How things work, NS101-T Fall 2017
By the end of semester [or before] you will know:
1.the real Physics (of many phenomena & arenas) at an algebraic level of mathematics
2.how to research, organize, write, revise, edit & increasingly sophisticate a science paper on a topic of YOUR own interest
3.what the place is of science in society & vice versa (Social Justice/Environmental Sustainability)
4.how to start designing your own education (f’reals) with our support
5.some community resources for these goals, especially 3 & 4 above. And how to use them
This course is in the distribution category of PBS(Physical and Biological Sciences).
Its cumulative skills are iND = Independent Work, QUA = Quantitative Skills, & WRI = Writing and Research.
How Things Work course teaches "hard" science by making it relevant and accessible. The full introductory physics, with mathematics at the level of algebra and trigonometry is enlivened by examples from everyday devices and experiences. Our lecture-discussion format includes assisting student designed independent projects that acquire more scientific/mathematical sophistication through many stages of paper development and revision. We usually cover mechanics (the science of motion and its causes) as well as Electricity & Magnetism up to basic electronics. But enlivening is real: for example, ice skating and bumper cars exemplify mechanics; static electricity is taught using Xerographic copying as its application. We learn the theory of Maxwell's Equations in seeing how trash is sorted in a recycling crusher, pollution trapped in smokestack cleaners, and high tension electric distribution is designed to save money. This year we experiment with becoming a Teaching-Learning Community; while the nominal aim would be to have as many as half of our meetings out of the classroom, we will work together to design the trade-off between covering science topics and learning "from Life." One TLC component is already clear, participation in such activities of the Institute for Sciences as seminar talks, study groups and monthly dialogues, especially all that relate to social justice, environmental issues and sustainability. Our learning goals include all five Natural Science school aims for Division I:
1. Empowering your own topic & paper
2. Understanding how sciences work
3. Learning their social contexts -- &effects; especially those about the environment, social justice & sustainability
4. Developing quantitative skills (mathematics. YES!)
5. Acquiring presentation skills, especially for writing a science paper.
The textbook will be Louis A. Bloomfield's "How Things Work: The Physics of Everyday Life, 6th edition" --as supplemented by problems from the 2nd edition.
The aims of How things work, NS101-T Fall 2017
By the end of semester [or before] you will know:
1.the real Physics (of many phenomena & arenas) at an algebraic level of mathematics
2.how to research, organize, write, revise, edit & increasingly sophisticate a science paper on a topic of YOUR own interest
3.what the place is of science in society & vice versa (Social Justice/Environmental Sustainability)
4.how to start designing your own education (f’reals) with our support
5.some community resources for these goals, especially 3 & 4 above. And how to use them
This course is in the distribution category of PBS(Physical and Biological Sciences).
Its cumulative skills are iND = Independent Work, QUA = Quantitative Skills, & WRI = Writing and Research.
- Teacher: Herbert Bernstein