Page 6 - Priorities 3

A Conversation PaulTrudelle with
Gymnasts theoretically should suffer fewer wrist injuries and be able to practice longer without over- stressing their wrists, Paul explains.
The same basic principles led to a new, hollow, women’s softball bat which probably helped the US teamwinthegold. Itiscomposedofaverylightalloy (a mixture of metals) that bend inward upon impact with the ball (more than traditional aluminum bats). Like a trampoline, the new bat pushes back harder on the softball, giving it a longer trajectory.
Scientists need exact formulas provided by higher mathematics when they apply their knowledge to a specific problem. But when first learning physics, a solid understanding of the concepts is a more impor- tant than the ability to simply manipulate formulas, Paul maintains.
Concepts First
“I think physical science education has unneces- sarily discouraged many people by mainly stressing mathematical formulas before comprehension of sci- entific ideas. This backwards approach often leads people to view physics and chemistry as merely a series of mathematical equations that are unrelated to day-to-dayreality. Ibelievethatemphasisonprob- lem-solving skills and the understanding of science concepts before calculation is the best way to maxi- mize student comprehension and enjoyment of phys- ical science,” Paul says.
Richard Feynman, one of this century’s most influential theoretical physicists, would agree. In his autobiography, he thanked his father for demonstrat- ing to him as a child the difference between just “knowing” — as in being able to identify and name various species of birds — and “really knowing,” as in developing a way of thinking about and observing birds that leads to a detailed understanding.
In the conceptual physics class Paul is teaching this fall, students are using basic formulas as guide- lines in understanding how nature works, after they experiment and observe.
Paul loves making leaps from Earth-sized exam- ples to the smallest, sub-atomic particles and then the largest intergalactic arena, because the physics laws are generally the same. Gravity, for example, always
Watch the Olympics, or the movies, or even water running from the tap with Science Teacher Paul Trudelle, and you see it all with new eyes. Most of us
see the obvious. Paul sees universal laws in motion.
What I love about chemistry and phys- icsisthattheycanprovide aperson with a whole new way to focus the mind and see the world. Knowing some of nature’s rules and physical laws helps turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. It’s like watching any game — it means much more and is a lot more fun when you know the rules.”
For example, Olympic gymnasts illustrate — on thefly,sotospeak— Newton’sthirdlawofphysics. Whenoneobject,suchasagymnast, putsaforceon another object, such as the uneven parallel bars, the bars push back on the gymnast with an equal and opposite force. If the “resistance force” is powerful enough, it can sprain a wrist.
Moms are aware of this simple logic — it is why they insist that children on inline skates wear their wristguards. Ontheotherhandkarateexpertsknow that a short chop isn’t as powerful as a swing with somedistancebehindit. Driversknowtheycan reduce the impact of a rear-end crash by speeding up a bit. All are intuitively manipulating variables in Newton’s laws.
Science Intuition
We know almost intuitively, when we watch a gymnast trying to “stick” a landing, whether he or she will make it. We observe the gymnast’s size, flight distance, and speed. If the gymnast is heavy, if the speed is great, we know before he or she hits the mat that the knees can’t take up all the force. The gymnast may get an injury, fall over, or have to step back. There goes the gold.
Many gymnasts at the Atlanta Olympics trained onnewlyavailableequipmentdesignedtolessen the impact. New bars, rings, vaulting boards and horses are made from a composite material of wood and fiberglass that bends more under the gymnast’s weight.
“What I love about chemistry and physics is that they can provide a person with a whole new way to focus the mind and see the world.”
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