Problems of education. What's wrong with physics in modern school Message why physics is needed

...Are you asking what changes physics has made to the ideas of modern man? What have we learned not only from those discoveries that we ourselves witnessed, but also from those that occurred a long time ago, but only in our days have received a correct assessment? I think that here we can answer the question: well, what does contemporary art give to a person? Is it a means of pastime or something more that can significantly influence human behavior? If you think about these questions, then perhaps it will become clearer what science means for humanity...

In very general terms, science gives a person a sense of his own power, faith in his own abilities not only to understand the world around him, but also to put into service hitherto unknown or even hostile forces. But in order to discover something new, we must ask nature correctly posed questions - questions to which there is an answer. And to do this you need to master the art of asking questions.

For example, since the time of Newton, philosophers and physicists have debated whether light is particles or waves? And in the 20th century, the dispute spread to the electron. In 1924, de Broglie raised doubts: maybe the electron is in some sense a wave? At that time, it should have been obvious to any, so to speak, sensible person that there must be an answer to this question, and one excluded the other: either a particle or a wave. Of course, it was very difficult to understand that in such a formulation the question was legitimate, just as it is generally very difficult to renounce familiar, everyday concepts.

At the turn of the century, many people thought that physics was practically finished and that man had learned everything that could be known. Science is similar to Dante’s wanderings through the spheres of paradise: behind each sphere of knowledge a new one opens; and signs of the completion of science have always served as harbingers of its new ascents. So it was with the advent of the 20th century: a turning point occurred, an era of new knowledge began. The theory of relativity and mechanics were created, later the science of light was developed, culminating in quantum electrodynamics, the study of the atomic nucleus formed the basis of atomic energy, the study of hydrodynamics and aerodynamics served as the foundation for space exploration...

This is probably the first lesson that physics, and science in general, gave - our knowledge is not static, it develops and we will never see the end; Every developing picture allows us to simplify what we know and, on the other hand, to penetrate into more subtle, more serious details.

This continuous striving forward, expanding opportunities, restlessness are probably the most striking features that testify to the influence of science on people...

...Let's see what is inherent in the development of physics over the last decade. Perhaps the most peculiar thing is the rapprochement of opposites. For a long time, physicists, or rather natural scientists, have been interested in two objects (if you can so modestly call entire worlds). The first object is the entire Universe, the structure of its larger and larger parts, the connection between them. And, most importantly, in our time the Universe has a history: we began to learn how it all lives. Moving along the line of sight deep into the sky, we see increasingly earlier stages of the development of the Universe and, ideally, we will be able to read its history from what we observe at different distances from us.

Therein lies another lesson: nothing, or almost nothing, is destroyed. If they say that manuscripts do not burn, then with even greater justification we can say that history is not destroyed: Just as the rings on the cut of a tree store information about the weather, just as carbon-14 records the date of its death, so the Universe stores its biography. In the depths of the Universe we see remnants, we see exploding and colliding galaxies, amazing objects - quasars, the brightness of which exceeds the brightness of galaxies. And all this is built into a chain of sequential events, conveying to us the history of the Universe.

The second “object” that natural scientists have long pondered is. What is it made of, what does our immediate environment, and ultimately the distant stars, consist of? For a very long time, atoms were rather the subject of philosophical study; no experimental possibilities for their study existed. They were called atoms, corpuscles, monads, but they were objects without structure and without history. But the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries came, and man quickly penetrated into the world of atoms, and later into the world of the nucleus. Here, as in the Universe, you can go far into the depths, discovering more and more new objects that have received strange, maybe even funny names: gluons and even VIPs and zips - just like forest gnomes. This system turned out to be very complex, but subject to laws that humanity is gradually understanding.

There seems to be no history visible here. We are simply discovering smaller and smaller particles of matter, understanding them through large and expensive experiments, developing very difficult and intricate theories. In the end, we learn to connect discovered phenomena with each other and even predict what can be “seen” in accelerators of incredible energy that will come into operation in ten years.

Our ancestors considered it obvious that the smaller the objects, the simpler their structure. But it turned out that everything was much more interesting. Descending, as if by steps, into the depths of matter, moving to ever smaller scales of length and time, we discover that in these depths lie clues to the early state of the Universe. Looking at what happens in a system when its dimensions are extremely small, when the density becomes extremely high, we are getting closer to understanding what happened to matter in a state close to the Big Bang, in which our Universe was “born”.

Now it is clear to us: it is impossible to separate the development of the megaworld from the properties of the microworld. The history of the Universe is written in the language of the microcosm. Astrophysicists have become major experts in elementary particles, and theories of elementary particles are increasingly being tested on models of the Universe. This process is very instructive, it is filled with enormous philosophical significance. Demonstration of the unity of phenomena, at first glance, very distant, opposed to each other, the unity of local and global properties, is a vivid lesson presented to us by nature, and we should not forget about it in all our multifaceted lives.

Knowledge cannot be ordered, it cannot be put into a single row, saying what is earlier, what is later, or even what is simpler and what is more difficult. Probably one of the main failures of our school is that the teaching in it is built on a local principle, while the global view of nature remains somewhere outside the boundaries of both the textbook and the lesson.

P.S. What else are British scientists thinking about: that recently physics is again beginning to become increasingly popular among applicants seeking to enroll in physics departments. But before entering a particular university, it is very important to look

Why does a person need to study physics at school?

February 14, 2017

Often schoolchildren (and especially schoolgirls) ask the question: “Why should I study physics if it is not interesting to me and will not be useful to me at all in life?”

Here's a simple answer. After all, motivation when studying a particular subject is a very important thing. Indeed, how to explain to a teenager who is not interested in physics, who is not going to associate a profession with it, that he needs to learn all these formulas, laws and theories?

Knowledge of the physical laws of the structure of our world is one way or another useful to any person. This is the same part of the general cultural basis as knowledge of the basic rules of the Russian language, as orientation in geography or history, as the ability to count money, as familiarity with the general principles of biological evolution...

Knowing the basics of physics, we understand a bunch of things: how a car engine works, why a rocket flies in space, why an iron ship doesn’t sink, why a parachutist needs a parachute, what controlled thermonuclear fusion is, how a pump or an electric kettle works... Yes, it’s quite possible to live without this knowledge . But still…

And there is another important point. Almost all current high school students and high school students will, at some point, become parents, fathers, and mothers. And their little children will ask a million questions: why is the trolleybus going? why is there a rainbow? Why does a water strider run easily on the surface of the water and not drown? Why is there thunder? Why is there weightlessness in space? Why can’t you stick your fingers into a socket, but you can use a plug from a table lamp? why is the light on? why are snowflakes all so different?...

All these children's questions will have to be answered. If you once understood the essence of the matter well enough at school, then even after 10-20 years you will easily be able to explain all such things to a child of preschool or primary school age - briefly and taking into account his level of understanding.

Of course, studying all these physics formulas, problems and experiments that are part of the standard school curriculum represents a much more in-depth level of physics learning than most students will need in the future. But the trick is that only in this way can the essence of physical laws be well understood. Well, how can you understand Archimedes’ law or the law of universal gravitation if you don’t solve at least a little of the corresponding problems?

It is clear that not all high school students will be inspired by the thoughts expressed in this article... But maybe someone will be inspired. Or, at least, they will give you the strength and patience to study physics a little more diligently, without excessive disgust.

And also physics is necessary to know how our world functions!

Physics is the science of the phenomena of the world around us. To understand the processes that you observe every day, you need to know physics. Physics shows the fundamental interrelation of processes and phenomena in nature in qualitative and quantitative form. It allows you to deeply understand what is happening around you and, in collaboration with mathematics, allows you to predict events. In the end, it is up to physicists to provide the perfect answer to the question of how the universe actually came to be. Physics answers questions such as: why does the pupil of your eye appear black? Or why are batteries usually installed under the window? Look around and put your hand in your pocket - cell phone, computer, and everything else - how would all this exist without physics? And then turn on consideration and a little imagination. A person basically needs to study physics in order to have access to new sources of energy, to improve human power over nature! Because it is everywhere. Without physics, you can go straight to the grave. Because you won't live.

You do not need. You can stupidly poke at the buttons of a computer or mobile phone, which will be made for you by smart people who have studied physics. Or again: every action has an equal reaction - you were pushed, but you pushed back so hard that the offender fell. In one place it departed - in another it arrived - the law of communicating vessels. The gimlet rule is completely sacred - we know which way to turn the bolt and screws. The golden rule of mechanics is that the quieter you go the further you go, or the larger the shoulder, the less resistance. Yes, there are many interesting things in physics, remember Archimedes - a body immersed in water, etc. To know that opposites attract. For life - we encounter it every day, even while having fun - the same billiards.

In the section on the question why is physics needed? given by the author Yoasha Mikhailenko the best answer is Physics is the science of nature in the most general sense, part of natural history. She studies matter, matter, energy and the interaction of nature with the outside world.
This science has described many principles that exist in our world, many still remain in question. Almost everything that surrounds us is to one degree or another connected with physics, buildings, cars, computers, etc.
This list can be very long. As a science, physics helps develop analytical thinking, build cause-and-effect relationships and think logically. According to the Americans, theoretical physicists occupy the first position in terms of IQ level (on average per capita), doctors were given second place
Physics is a good lubricant for rusty brains, this science will help you in everyday life. Physicists quickly analyze what is happening and can make the right decisions.
Source:

Answer from simplify[guru]
why do you need a brain?

Answer from compound[master]
To be smarter.

Answer from Flush[guru]
Don't ask stupid questions, go and learn!

Answer from Yafael Khamitov[guru]
Without physics there would be no airplanes, mobile phones, cars, etc. Well, without physics, almost everything that we have would not exist

Answer from Larisa L.[guru]
Boy Sasha! Don't ask stupid questions, better sit down and study physics! Otherwise you won’t know why the apple falls to the ground.

Answer from Apple slice[guru]
To calculate the operation of various mechanisms, for example, cars, pistons... without physics, now we would not have tap water at home.
Physics also helps to create optical instruments. If it weren't for her, we wouldn't know the word "megapixel".
And also - microscopes, lenses, telescopes... and the same glasses - and here the merit of physics!
And also - the melting point of glass, the boiling point... = thermometers, beautiful vases, hot milk on the stove...
Physics helps us in many areas of our lives, but we are often simply unaware of it!

Getting an education is a key moment in every person's life. In all kinds of educational institutions, schoolchildren are gradually presented with knowledge about the World in which we live. Based on the knowledge gained, a person has the opportunity to realize himself, his abilities and talents. The more knowledge a person has, the easier it is for him to adapt and achieve what he wants. But knowledge alone is not enough. For example, having received an inheritance or won the lottery, not every person will be able to properly manage the suddenly appeared amount of money and may end up back where he was. The same applies to knowledge: you need to be able to use it and be able to learn new things.

Unlike many other subjects, the full extent of physical knowledge is not used by most people in everyday life. We can say that school-level physics is a set of various rules and patterns necessary to obtain the correct and shortest solution to various types of problems. Generalizing - these are the rules for obtaining the correct result, and our task is to learn to apply these rules.

In adult life, every person faces many problems and challenges. But they all have one thing in common: each problem must be solved, correctly and in the shortest way, and to solve it there are certain rules that a person can use in one order or another. This is mainly what physics teaches: to apply various kinds of rules to obtain the corresponding correct result.

Thus, I, as a teacher, see the goal of my work to teach my applicants to learn, correctly apply and combine patterns to obtain the right result with the least effort. I am interested in my subject, and this interest makes my work a pleasure - both for me and for my students. I will be glad to help you!!