Effects of Integrated Science Courses on the Physical Sciences

Presented at the Chesapeake Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers

held at Lynchburg College11-13 March 2005

by Harold GellerGeorge Mason University

What I’m Talking About

Honors Program at GMUGeneral Education

RequirementsIntegrated SciencesPhysics in Integrated SciencesThe GoodThe BadThe UglyFuture Hopes

Science in General Education at George Mason

Program for Alternative General Education (PAGE) Incorporation into Honors Program in

General Educationfirst 2 yearsconcentrate on interdisciplinary subjects

• “The Honors Program in General Education provides highly qualified students with an integrated foundation for their future studies. It consists of a challenging interdisciplinary curriculum that satisfies general education requirements for graduation and prepares students for their majors.”

Standard Approach to Gen Ed Requirements

Students choose from among natural science classes with lab Presented in order of popularity

BiologyAstronomyGeologyChemistryPhysics

Apparently the less math, the more popular

Integrated Science Approach

“Introduce a course that presents a coherent and clear picture of all science disciplines - an interdisciplinary approach - which helps students confirm and calibrate the big picture with the real world.” “Interdisciplinary science is an attempt to

broaden and humanize science education by reducing and breaking down the barriers that enclose tradiational science disciplines as distinct subjects.”

[Source: Tillery, Enger and Ross (2001) p. xiii]

Why Integrated Sciences?

As early as 1996 the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences recognized problems with science literacy in the U.S. They recommended that the problem may

be addressed by introducing integrated science courses for non-science majorsi.e. integrated science courses versus single

discipline science courses

Topics in Teaching Physics within Integrated Science Units of length, mass and time, and metric Prefixes Density and its units The Scientific Method Speed, velocity, acceleration Forces Falling objects, Newton’s Laws of Motion and

Gravity Work, Potential Energy and Kinetic Energy Conservation of Energy, Types/Sources of Energy Kinetic Molecular Theory, Temperature and Heat Phases of matter and Thermodynamics Forces, Vibrations and Wave Motion Sound, Waves, Reflection, Refraction, Resonance Electricity and Magnetism

A Quick View

Following are samples from Powerpoint presentations that I use incorporating material that the publisher (McGraw-Hill) provided with the textbook (Integrated Science by Tillery, Enger and Ross)

Question for Thought

A spring clamp exerts a force on a stack of papers it is holding together. Is the spring clamp doing work on the papers? Explain.

If the spring clamp does not cause the paper to move, it is not acting through a distance and no work is done.

Question for Thought

A lamp bulb is rated 100 Watts. Why is a time factor not included in the rating?

Because a time factor is in the rating. A watt is a unit of power, and power is work per unit time. A 100 W light bulb uses energy at a rate of 100 J per s.

Question for ThoughtDoes the person standing motionless

in the aisle of a moving bus have kinetic energy?

Relative to the bus, the person has no kinetic energy because the person is at rest relative to the bus. Relative to the ground, however, the person does have kinetic energy because the person is moving with the same speed as the bus.

Question for Thought

Compare the energy needed to raise a mass 10 meters on Earth to the energy needed to raise the same mass 10 meters on the Moon. Explain the difference, if any.

The energy required is less on the moon because the weight of the object (the downward force due to gravity) depends upon the force of gravity, which is less on the moon than on the earth. Less energy is needed to do the work of raising the mass on the moon, and the elevated object on the moon has less potential energy as a consequence of the work done.

Question for Thought

What happens to the kinetic energy of a falling book when the book hits the floor?

The energy is converted to heat and sound.

Question for Thought

Why are petroleum, natural gas, and coal called fossil fuels?

Fossil fuels contain energy from plants or animals that lived millions of years ago. These plants and animals are known from the fossils they left behind, and the energy in the fuels represents energy stored from these ancient organisms.

Sample Question

A) What is the kinetic energy of a 30.0 gram bullet that is traveling at 200.0 meters per second?

B) What velocity would you have to give a 60.0 gram bullet to give it the same kinetic energy?

Sample Question6. (a)

KE1

2mv2

1

20.0300kg 200.0

m

s

2

12

0.0300kg 40,000.0m2

s2

1

20.0300 40,000.0 kg

m2

s2

600kgms2

m

6.00102Nm

6.00102J

Sample Question(b)

KE1

2mv2 v

2KE

m

2600J 0.0600kg

2600 0.0600

Nm

kg

1,200

0.0600

kgms2

m

kg

20,000kgm2

s2 1

kg

20,000m2

s2

141m

s

Sample Question

A) How much work is done in raising a 50.0 kilogram crate a distance of 1.5 meters above a storeroom floor?

B) What is the change of potential energy as a result of this move?

C) How much kinetic energy will the crate have as it falls and hits the floor?

Sample Question10. (a)

WFd

mgd

50.0kg 9.8ms2

1.5m

50.09.81.5kgms2

m

735Nm740J

Sample Question

(b)PEmgh

100kg 9.8ms2

15m

50.09.81.5kgm

s2 m

735Nm740J

(c) Since the PE lost is equal to the KE gained, then KE = 740 J.

Sample Question

A) What distance will a 10 horsepower motor lift a 2000 pound elevator in 30.0 seconds?

B) What would be the average velocity of the elevator during the lift?

Sample Question

1 6 . ( a )

P mgh

t h

Pt

mg

10 . 0 hp 550

f t l b

s1 . 00 hp

30 . 0 s

2 , 000 . 0 s

82 . 5 f t

( b )

v d

t v

82 . 5 f t

30 . 0 s 2 . 75

f t

s

Upside

Exposure All students must learn some physics

MechanicsHeatWavesSoundElectricityMagnetism

Downside

Length of time spent on physics Limited lab time for physics

Use of computer “simulated laboratory experiments”

Limited lecture time for physics4-weeks in 1-semester version; 8 weeks in 2-semester

version

Depth that can be achieved Little difference from high school physics? Limited knowledge that most integrated science

teachers have in physics

More News from GMU

The Good and Bad (how’s by you?)

New research building; started construction in 2004 Includes observatory (maybe planetarium?) and labs

for remote sensing and visual technologies

Geology as a department is gone split into environmental sciences and geography

Biology as a department is gone split into environmental sciences and molecular and

microbiology

Disappointment with teachers teaching scienceThere may yet be future physicists

Educators’ View of Science?

A doctoral dissertation (in education) view of science “These theories prove that classical

science is oppressive, a dead machine.” “Einstein’s work seems outdated” “Scientific results are not predictable

and concrete.”How does this get through?What can be done?

Another Loss

Previous students of mine Started to teach in Fairfax County and

Prince William County, Virginia high schools

Taught Earth Science and Physics Discipline problems with students Little teaching - mostly discipline and

administrative Quit after one or two years of teaching in

high schools Too many stories like this across country

Advertisement: The GMU Future Research Building with Observatory/Planetarium(?) and Center for Earth

Observing and Space Research (opening Spring 2006?)

Whither Physics in General Education?

Will integrated sciences help or hurt? Is exposure of students to physics wider? Is less depth a problem? Are instructors less experienced in physics?

Perhaps use more than one instructor?

Do individual science courses suffer (student population wise)?

Is less really more, or is less really less? Is discipline specific science approach to gen ed

best?Is “critical thinking” and “scientific reasoning” more

important than learning discipline specific facts?