Moduly jako prostředek inovace v integraci výuky moderní fyziky a chemie

reg. č.: CZ.1.07/2.2.00/28.0182

The impact of historical experiments in physics teaching

Renata Holubova 

Is it possible to reproduce historical experiments in the classroom?

Are students interested in history of science?

Are historical experiments explained in physics textbooks?

The use of historical experiments and examples in students teaching and learning is not new. In textbooks the greatest physicists and inventions are mentioned. Very often Ancient Greek at 17th - 19th century science is used when explaining the core ideas in mechanics or electricity.

•the live of scientists •historical connections

Most interesting for learners are activities useful for everyday life and answering the questions „how staff works“. A high rating have instructions about basic revolutionary discoveries in physics.

B U Tless popular in physics lessons is

1. Historical lessons or history explanatory notes can be based on historical texts.The main part of studnets activities is a documentary work – they have to study documentary resources. In this context may be discussed: how science worked in the past, how science was influnced by the culture, politics, society. For example the autority of the church can be discussed (Copernicus and his solar model, horror vacui).

2. The demonstration of scientific activities – historical experiments, fundamental experiments, the accuracy of measurements, verifying the theory.

 

Presentation of historical experiments

Joule, Guericke, Torricelli, Rutherford, Celsius , Coulomb, Mendelejev, Prokop Diviš, Franklin, Ampére, Oersted, Newton, Pascal, Archimédes, Faraday, Helmholtz, Papin, Ohm, Galilei, Watt, Brown, Roentgen

Secondary school physics textbooks

Magdeburgs´ hemisphere experiment

Pascal´ s barrel

Project

•historical experiments done with modern equipment or hands on devices.

•historical walk around the town.

We found out interesting places with an impact to the history of physics – interesting technique constructions, houses, where physicists lived etc.

Organ by Engler – 10 400 pipes - acoustics

Astronomical clock – measurement of time

Field trips – history of science

Foucault pendulum

Kromeriz in the Florar garden Above a stone table on a 25 m long cord there is a 30 kg weight. The pendulum is used during lesson instrucions about the Earth´s rotation. n the context of secondary and high school physics the problems of simple harmonic motion, periodic motion the the concepts frequency, speed, acceleration, rotary motion, oscillation (precese, nutace).

Experiments in caves •echolocation •acoustics•Doppler effect

The following problems are discussed:•origin of echoes•practical application – measuring the distance, velocity•echolocation and bats•echolocation in medicine

Field experiment – whisper gallery in Slavkov

Slavkov near Brno (Austerlitz) is known as the batterfield of three emperors in 1805. Inside the monument Mound of Peace - a chapel. The size of the chapel is 10 x 10 m and the vault give birth to the effect of the whisper gallery.  

Conclusion

•view of science•of the subject matter•the naure of physics•the culture of physics

The historical context applied in physics teaching allows to work with misconceptions and ideas that similar to the historical development of science. Historical contents is the way of learning about nature.

Doing experiments – rediscovering the knowledge. It is important to interwoven the history of physics into the physics teaching.

Against – lack of knowledge, missing time

Thank you for your attention !

renata.holubova@upol.cz