Why do you need to study physics?
Look at everyone, not at the field,
Grow everyone, not a meadow.
And although I wasn't taught this at school
I will suddenly reveal everyone’s soul.
(V.A. Sukhomlinsky)
As a physics teacher, people ask me: “Why do you need to teach physics?” I can answer this question based on my limited teaching experience.
It is known that for last years students' interest in natural sciences decreased noticeably. This is due to the fact that with existing methods and textbooks, children in the classroom are deprived of initiative. They are offered tasks that require only one answer, and the correctness of these answers is based only on the authority of the book or teacher. In fact, the children must take the author of the textbook or the teacher at their word - they cannot check for themselves how much the material offered in the lessons corresponds to reality. Such learning leads to a loss of interest and to the fact that children cannot establish a connection between what they study at school and reality. This means that such training is meaningless. A different approach solves the problem. The laws of nature are presented as answers to questions that arise in children when observing natural phenomena. Three questions are asked:
1. How can we make the phenomenon we are interested in happen?
2. How could the phenomenon we are interested in happen by itself, without targeted human intervention?
3.What resources could be used to realize the phenomenon that interests us?
Working with children in this approach arouses great interest in them, and the material is absorbed much more effectively. The main difficulty in such work is the large amount of time spent preparing a lesson and the need for constant self-training of the teacher.
Today there is no need to convince teachers of the importance of developing and introducing into teaching practice more advanced teaching methods that ensure improved quality educational process, contributing to the activation cognitive activity students, the development of their mental abilities. In solving this problem, a significant role is given to the formation of their skills and abilities of independent thinking. And no matter what knowledge and to what extent the students receive, this knowledge has an irreversible tendency to become outdated and lag behind the needs of life. Where is the way out? The solution to the problem is to teach students to learn independently, to acquire knowledge from various sources of information on their own. This is the main goal of teaching physics.
The study of physics as a general education subject at school is important in preparing students for life in modern world technology, as well as in the formation of their general worldview. Until recently, the main goal of school physics education was considered to be the formation in schoolchildren of a deep and solid knowledge of the fundamentals of physics. But now the tasks of developing and educating students in the learning process are in first place. But when studying physics, schoolchildren often encounter a psychological barrier that prevents them from understanding and mastering the material, due, first of all, to insufficiently developed abstract thinking.
The main thing in my work is not only to know my subject perfectly, to be able to present it clearly, but also to successfully solve all the problems that arise for my students in the process of studying physics. In the course of mastering physical knowledge, the foundations of a scientific worldview are laid - a powerful tool in creative activity human, and this presupposes a deep understanding of natural phenomena and social life.
Currently, several concepts of modern school physical education are being considered, each of which has its own advantages and disadvantages. But in any case, it should not be forgotten that students will be engaged in the process of learning physics and will be able to overcome all the problems that arise before them only when the subject can fulfill their own potential. With gradual learning, each student should develop the ability to visually imagine certain processes, and then physics will become an incentive for those who in the future are going to be actively involved in the process of explaining the existing world. The question arises: “Why are the results of physical education currently significantly lower compared to previous years?” It is necessary to preserve the fundamental nature of physics education, strengthen the applied orientation of physics courses, and help children master methods scientific knowledge nature, but at the same time the hours allocated to studying physics at school are sharply reduced. According to the new standard educational material is divided into two parts: mandatory, included in the requirements for the level of training of school graduates, and material to be studied, but not included in the mandatory requirements.
But the sheer volume of texts educational standard increased due to the introduction of elements of astronomical knowledge into the physics course at the basic and specialized levels, but the subject “astronomy” was excluded from the federal component of the basic curriculum. The novelty of physics standards is also that priority is now given to physical methods nature studies. Since physics is an experimental science. And each student himself must be convinced of the correctness of the laws, carry out experiments himself, carry out measurements, and independently “discover” the laws of nature for himself. There are no clear requirements for results in teaching physics school education within the framework of the Standard. The Unified State Exam cannot replace the Standard requirements system here. Because the tasks used for this exam do not provide teachers with clear guidelines on what exactly they must teach all their students.
Only on the condition that the necessary requirements are developed and used as the basis for drawing up verification work for monitoring educational achievements and the Unified state exam, it is possible to develop a physics textbook that would allow one to “fit within” syllabus without significantly reducing the level of education in this subject.
Physical experiment plays an important role in the study of physics. Physics is an experimental science, therefore observations and experiments are the main source of knowledge about the nature of physical phenomena. Students in the process of studying physics must clearly understand that experience is a means of testing any physical theory, the main criterion of truth. They must understand that without experience, no statement can be considered true and that the validity of any law is verified by experiment. This is not an easy task for a student, since he is used to taking many things on faith. The development of such views accustoms one to the experimental proof of any statements, which is one of the most important goals of studying physics in a modern school.
The undoubted advantages of a physical workshop are high degree activity and independence of students when performing an experiment, developing skills in working with instruments and skills in processing the results of observations and measurements. The most difficult thing for a student is the ability to draw conclusions from the results of an experiment.
But, like any method of cognition, physical experiment, along with its advantages, also has its disadvantages. In my practice, I use a demonstration experiment as additional source knowledge. It is not accidental that we turn to a demonstration experiment. It's no secret that he has low efficiency, little methodological return in many cases, but for some students the experiment helps to understand the truths. When conducting a demonstration, I draw a conclusion, while specifying the phenomena being studied. However, the results may vary as the teacher focuses on the average student. There is another drawback - this is that experiments are carried out in groups of several people. The reason for this is insufficient equipment in physical laboratories. Most students in these lessons cannot independently work with instruments when performing an experiment, and also do not have the skills to correctly process the results of observations.
Olympiads are of great importance for physics, as for any subject. Their educational and educational significance cannot be overestimated. The spirit of competition and the desire to be the best in a particular area have always only stimulated students to knowledge and self-development. Students learn that in today's world it is extremely important to be competitive, to be the best possible. This is a guarantee of success and prosperity. The child independently builds his future, reaching heights with his own labor. Competitions of this kind imply not only intellectual, but also heuristic solving of physical problems in an ambiguous way. Very often, during Olympiads, new ideas and methods are born, which are subsequently professionally put into practice. In light of the fact that changes are constantly taking place in education, the problem arises of developing skills in students that will allow them to independently acquire knowledge and skills when teaching any subject, including physics. One of the directions for solving this problem is the development of educational and information skills in students (search, perception, storage, processing and presentation of information in educational activities), allowing students to be equipped with them in accordance with the requirements of the modern information society.Every society needs gifted people, and the task of society is to consider and develop the abilities of all its members. Unfortunately, not every person is able to realize their abilities. A lot depends on both the family and the school. The task of the family is to see and discern the child’s abilities in time, the task of the school is to support and develop his abilities, to prepare the ground for these abilities to be realized.
Our main task as teachers is to promote the development of each individual. Therefore, it is important to establish the level of abilities and their diversity in our children, but it is equally important to be able to correctly carry out their development. Gifted children clearly demonstrate the need for research and search activity. This allows students to immerse themselves in the creative learning process and fosters in them a thirst for knowledge, a desire for discovery, active mental work and self-knowledge. A person learns all his life. But school is the starting point for the accumulation of knowledge, skills and abilities that a person needs in life. For me, school is a creative workshop, the entire socio-psychological microclimate of which creates conditions for personal self-realization.
I think school should be a world of discovery and revelation, joy of life for students and teachers, a world of calm, harmony and cooperation. And we, teachers, can turn learning into a process of developing cognitive aspirations.
Our calling is to discover the world, and in this process, teacher and student complement each other. If the student’s position is: “I want to know so much, help me,” then the teacher’s position is: “Take what you want to know and understand. If it’s difficult, we’ll figure it out together.” When you feel this, it becomes easy and free, the children themselves make contact. A raised hand is not only a signal to the teacher “I know,” but also “It’s okay, I’ll try.” This attempt to answer should be supported in a timely manner, giving the student the opportunity to believe in himself. Then children reveal themselves and their capabilities in every lesson.
When people ask me why I work at school, after thinking a little, I answer: “I want my students to grow up to be intelligent and interesting people to communicate with.”
...You ask what changes physics has made to ideas 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...
Speaking very in general terms, science gives a person a sense of his own power, faith in his own abilities not only to know the world, but also to put into service forces hitherto unknown or even hostile. 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, and later the science of light developed, culminating in quantum electrodynamics, the study atomic nucleus formed the basis of nuclear 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 he came late XIX- the beginning of the 20th century, 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 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 in Lately Physics is again beginning to enjoy increasing popularity among applicants seeking to enroll in physics departments. But before entering a particular university, it is very important to look
Getting an education is a key moment in every person's life. In all sorts 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 various kinds of tasks. 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!!
Why does every person need to study physics at school?
Physics is needed to get acquainted and learn in various ways knowledge of nature. Then this can be transferred not only to nature. But physics shows how you can study something, how to pose questions. Posing a question is probably the most important thing that physics teaches in school.
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 general principles biological evolution...
And, by the way, people need to be taught physics so that they master a certain new style of thinking - model thinking. Mathematics develops the logical side of thinking, and physics makes it possible to think model-wise. That is, a person must understand: a phenomenon is happening - what is important there, what is not important.
The fact is that physics, the teaching of physics at school, is not aimed at communicating useful information, but at human development. And physics is an extremely convenient tool for this... And the fact that mathematics and physics are not really needed in the life of a normal person later, well, thank God. If a person has developed intelligence, and then he forgot how to solve some equation, then he has not lost anything in life.
Intelligence is not so much memory, attention, speed reading, knowledge of languages, etc., it is, first of all, ability to think !
Physics educates people who can analyze, generalize, draw conclusions - think! The Internet has been developing successfully for a long time. And, thank God, its resources do not yet know how to think, but only know how to look for information in it. And it will take much less time! So what then is the power of people? And if they are not trained to think, then they won’t be able to do anything... Computers with their crazy speed even when trying out options, not to mention using heuristic techniques, can only lose to a person who knows how to think. And you need to learn this!
Students, and sometimes their parents, say: “My child is a humanist, he draws (dances, sings) great, he doesn’t need physics at all.” The eternal debate between physicists and lyricists. Science and art. These areas of our culture are often considered almost as antipodes: in science - calculation and logic, in art - feelings and emotions; Science reflects, art experiences. In fact, these are two sides of the same coin, the difference is only in emphasis. The poet Alexey Sissakin said this very accurately and succinctly.
Science is dead without art,
It makes her feel better.
Art is meaningless without science:
Masterpieces are created by both mind and hands
Not only schoolchildren, but even adults sometimes wonder: why is physics needed? This topic is especially relevant for parents of students who at one time received an education that was far from physics and technology.
But how to help a student? In addition, teachers can assign an essay for homework in which they need to describe their thoughts about the need to study science. Of course it's better this topic entrust it to eleventh graders who have a complete understanding of the subject.
What is physics
Speaking in simple language, physics is Of course, nowadays physics is moving more and more away from it, going deeper into the technosphere. Nevertheless, the subject is closely connected not only with our planet, but also with space.
So why do we need physics? Its task is to understand how certain phenomena occur, why certain processes are formed. It is also advisable to strive to create special calculations that would help predict certain events. For example, how Isaac Newton discovered the law universal gravity? He studied an object falling from top to bottom and observed mechanical phenomena. Then he created formulas that actually work.
What sections does physics have?
The subject has several sections that are studied generally or in depth at school:
- Mechanics;
- vibrations and waves;
- thermodynamics;
- optics;
- electricity;
- the quantum physics;
- Molecular physics;
- nuclear physics.
Each section has subsections that examine various processes in detail. If you don’t just study theory, paragraphs and lectures, but learn to imagine, experiment with what you’re talking about we're talking about, then science will seem very interesting, and you will understand why physics is needed. Complex sciences that cannot be applied in practice, for example, atomic and nuclear physics, can be considered differently: read interesting articles from popular science magazines, watch documentaries about this area.
How does the item help in everyday life?
In the essay “Why is physics needed” it is recommended to give examples if they are relevant. For example, if you are describing why you need to study mechanics, then you should mention cases from everyday life. An example would be an ordinary car trip: from a village to a city you need to travel along a free highway in 30 minutes. The distance is about 60 kilometers. Of course, we need to know at what speed it is best to move along the road, preferably with some time to spare.
You can also give an example of construction. Let's say when building a house you need to correctly calculate the strength. You can't choose flimsy material. A student can conduct another experiment to understand why physics is needed, for example, take a long board and place chairs at the ends. The board will be located on the backs of the furniture. Next, you should load the center of the board with bricks. The board will sag. As the distance between the chairs decreases, the deflection will be less. Accordingly, a person receives food for thought.
When preparing dinner or lunch, a housewife often encounters physical phenomena: heat, electricity, mechanical work. To understand how to do the right thing, you need to understand the laws of nature. Experience often teaches you a lot. And physics is the science of experience and observation.
Professions and specialties related to physics
But why does someone who graduates from school need to study physics? Of course, those who enter a university or college majoring in the humanities have virtually no need for the subject. But in many areas science is required. Let's look at which ones:
- geology;
- transport;
- electricity supply;
- electrical engineering and instruments;
- medicine;
- astronomy;
- construction and architecture;
- heat supply;
- gas supply;
- water supply and so on.
For example, even a train driver needs to know this science to understand how a locomotive works; a builder must be able to design strong and durable buildings.
Programmers and IT specialists must also know physics in order to understand how electronics and office equipment work. In addition, they need to create realistic objects for programs and applications.
It is used almost everywhere: radiography, ultrasound, dental equipment, laser therapy.
What sciences is it related to?
Physics is very closely interconnected with mathematics, since when solving problems you need to be able to convert various formulas, carry out calculations and build graphs. You can add this idea to the essay “Why you need to study physics” if we are talking about calculations.
This science is also related to geography in order to understand natural phenomena, be able to analyze future events, weather.
Biology and chemistry are also related to physics. For example, not a single living cell can exist without gravity and air. Also, living cells must move in space.
How to write an essay for a 7th grade student
Now let's talk about what a seventh grader who has partially studied some sections of physics can write. For example, you can write about the same gravity or give an example of measuring the distance he walked from one point to another in order to calculate the speed of his walking. A 7th grade student can supplement the essay “Why is physics needed” various experiences which were carried out in lessons.
As you can see, creative work you can write quite interesting. In addition, it develops thinking, gives new ideas, and awakens curiosity about one of the most important sciences. Indeed, in the future, physics can help in any life circumstances: in everyday life, when choosing a profession, when getting a good job, during outdoor recreation.
