The most common complaint of a student about the difficulty of the subject is: “Why do I need this stupid .... (you can put anything here - physics, mathematics, history, biology) if I'm not going to do it after school?!”
Indeed, does a poor child need to cram formulas and deal with the laws of Newton and Faraday? Maybe, well, this dirty trick, let's do something interesting better? Surprisingly, many adults themselves do not understand why they taught physics at school and sincerely do not see the connection between this entertaining science and everyday life. Let's find that connection!
Imagine your typical day. So you got out of bed, stretched and looked in the mirror. And the laws of physics started working right from the start of your day!
Movement, the reflection in a mirror, the gravity that makes you walk on the ground and water flows down the sink instead of in your face, the force it takes to lift a bag or open a door—it's all physics.
Pay attention to the elevator, which easily and quickly takes you to the desired floor, car or other transport, computers, tablets and phones. Without physics, all this would not have gone anywhere, would not have turned on and would not have worked.
The development of physics can be equated with progress.
At first, people understood the laws of optics and invented simple glasses, so that those who see poorly could better navigate, read and write. And then microscopes appeared in the world, with the help of which scientists made incredible discoveries in fields such as biology and medicine. And telescopes, in which astronomers saw planets, stars and entire galaxies and were able to draw conclusions about the structure of the Universe. Each discovery in physics helps humanity to take a new step forward.
Okay, you say. But for all of the above, for all these discoveries and developments, there are physics. That is, people who consciously chose this particular science as their main profession. And what about the rest, and even the humanities? What is this knowledge to them if you can just read the instructions for your phone and this will be enough to use it?
We already wrote that , but besides this, we will give a few examples from Everyday life when a basic knowledge of physics can be useful to everyone. Moreover, we will analyze only one section of physics, almost completely created by Isaac Newton - mechanics.
Movement, speed, acceleration.
So, everything in the universe is constantly moving, including our planet and the earth we walk on. And we go almost every day to different places. This means that we constantly calculate how quickly we will get to the theater, work, friends, so as not to be late. We solve speed problems in high school as part of a math course, but it's actually basic physics.
Now imagine that you are choosing a car. You have a desire to get a fast car, but you need to carry a family, so size matters too. That is frisky and big. And how do you know which one is right for you? What do you pay attention to? To speed up, of course! There is such a parameter - constant acceleration, that is, acceleration from 0 to 100 km in a number of seconds. So the shorter the time from 0 to 100, the more cheerful your car will be at the start and turns. And physics will tell you!
When you start (and continue) to drive a car, some of the basic physics course will be very useful to you. For example, you yourself will understand that it is probably not worth it to brake sharply on the highway at a speed of 120 km / h just because you suddenly want to admire a beautiful view.
Even if several other cars are not following you at the same speed, the drivers of which may not have time to react. It's just that when braking, the acceleration is negative, so everyone who is sitting in the car is thrown forward sharply. Believe me, straps digging into the body and stretched neck muscles are unpleasant. Just keep in mind such a concept from physics as acceleration.
Gravity, momentum and other utilities.
Physics will tell about the law of gravity. That is, we already know that if you throw an object, it will fall to the ground. What does it mean? The earth attracts us and all objects. Moreover, the planet Earth attracts even such a heavy cosmic object as the Moon. Note that the Moon does not fly away along its trajectory and is shown to people every evening. Also, any things that we threw on the floor in our hearts do not hang in the air. Thrown objects are also affected by acceleration, because the Earth has a huge gravitational force. Also the force of friction.
Therefore, knowing about these laws, one can understand what happens if a person jumps with a parachute. Is the area of the parachute related to the slowdown in the rate of fall? Maybe you should ask for a bigger parachute? How does the momentum act on the skydiver's knees, and why is it impossible to land on straight legs?
And how to choose skiing? Are you a great skater or are you just starting out? Think about friction, check exactly these parameters of your new skis. If you are a beginner who does not know physics, then a mistake in the choice is very likely. Can you stop?
Okay, you're not going to skydive and you don't want to know anything about skiing.
Let's get back to everyday life. Here is a nut and a wrench. What part of the wrench must be grasped in order to apply maximum force to the nut? Those who have studied physics will take the key as far from the nut as possible. To open a heavy door to an old building, you need to press on it from the very edge, away from the hinges. Is it necessary to talk about the lever and the fulcrum that Galileo lacked so much?
Probably, these examples are enough to illustrate the daily presence of physics in our lives. And that was just the mechanics! But there is also optics, which we mentioned at the beginning of the article, and electricity with magnetic fields. And we are modestly silent about the theory of relativity.
Believe me, physics basic level necessary for everyone, so as not to look stupid and funny in the most ordinary situations.
Not only schoolchildren, but even adults sometimes ask themselves: why do we need physics? This topic is especially relevant for parents of students who at one time received an education far from physics and technology.
But how can you help a student? In addition, teachers can give homework an essay describing their thoughts on the need to study science. Of course, it is better to entrust this topic to eleventh graders who have a complete understanding of the subject.
What is physics
talking plain language Physics is the science of nature. Of course, at present, physics is moving further and further away from it, delving 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 desirable to strive to create special calculations that would help predict certain events. For example, how Isaac Newton discovered the law gravity? He studied an object falling from top to bottom, observed mechanical phenomena. Then I created formulas that really work.
What sections does physics have
The subject has several sections that are generally or in depth studied at school:
- Mechanics;
- vibrations and waves;
- thermodynamics;
- optics;
- electricity;
- the quantum physics;
- Molecular physics;
- nuclear physics.
Each section has subsections that explore the various processes in detail. If not just to study theory, paragraphs and lectures, but to learn how to imagine, experiment with what in question, then science will seem very interesting, and you will understand why physics is needed. Complex sciences that cannot be applied in practice, such as atomic and nuclear physics, can be considered differently: read interesting articles from popular science magazines, look documentaries about this area.
How does the subject help in everyday life
In the essay Why Physics is 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 ordinary car trip can be such an example: you need to drive from the village to the city along a free highway in 30 minutes. The distance is about 60 kilometers. Of course, we need to know at what speed it is better to move along the road, preferably with a margin of time.
You can also give an example of construction. For example, when building a house, you need to correctly calculate the strength. You can not choose flimsy material. A student can conduct another experiment to understand why physics is needed, for example, take a long board, put chairs at the ends. The board will be located on the backs of the furniture. Next, load the center of the board with bricks. The board will sag. By reducing the distance between the chairs, the deflection will be less. Accordingly, a person receives food for thought.
When preparing dinner or lunch, a hostess 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 a lot. And physics is the science of experience, observation.
Professions and specialties related to physics
But why do you need to study physics for someone who graduates from school? Of course, for those who enter a university or college in the humanities, the subject is practically not needed. But in many areas science is required. Let's look at which:
- geology;
- transport;
- power supply;
- electrical engineering and devices;
- the 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; the builder must be able to design strong and durable buildings.
Programmers, IT specialists also need to know physics in order to understand how electronics and office equipment work. In addition, they need to create realistic objects for programs, applications.
In medicine, physics is applied almost everywhere: radiography, ultrasound, dental equipment, laser therapy.
What sciences are associated with
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” when it comes to computing.
Also, this science is connected with geography in order to understand natural phenomena, to 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, air. Also, living cells must move in space.
How to write an essay for a 7th grade student
And 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 that he walked from one point to another in order to calculate his walking speed. A 7th grade student can supplement the essay “Why do we need physics” various experiences that took place in the classroom.
As you can see creative work you can write quite interesting. In addition, it develops thinking, gives new ideas, awakens curiosity in 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 applying for a good job, during outdoor recreation.
Getting an education is a key moment in the life of every person. in all possible educational institutions schoolchildren are gradually presented with knowledge about the world in which we live. Based on the acquired knowledge, 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 dispose of the suddenly appeared amount of money and may end up in the same place 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 fullness 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 kinds of problems. Generalizing - these are the rules for obtaining the correct result, and our task is to learn how to apply these rules.
In adulthood, each person faces many problems and challenges. But all of them have one thing in common: each problem must be solved, moreover, correctly and in the shortest way, and for its solution there are certain rules that a person can use in one sequence 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 as teaching my applicants to learn, correctly apply and combine patterns in order 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!!
Physics is the science that created modern world. Thanks to the discovery of the laws of physics, our homes are equipped with a variety of appliances, and life is simplified with communal benefits. Therefore, when asking a question about the relevance of studying physics, it is worth looking into the root of this science and understanding how it all began.
Patterns of the surrounding world
Many natural patterns were noticed by the first people. Then these phenomena were inexplicable and therefore remained useless or even dangerous. Gradually, by solving problems and conducting experiments, scientists collected information about how the world works. The accumulated experience and further discoveries led to the fact that a person subjugated many elements and made his life safe and comfortable.
Even those who are not fond of science use the knowledge of physical laws in everyday life and ordinary life. Operation of electrical appliances, use hot water and heating - all this requires knowledge of basic physical laws. Computers, telephones, televisions and all household equipment have appeared as a result of the study and application of physics.
Practical benefits
Thanks to physics, we know the origin of almost all natural phenomena. Over the years, the solution of problems in physics has opened up great prospects for scientists. Man has learned to receive energy and use it for his own purposes. Physical formulas are necessary for large-scale construction, industrial development and production.
Speaking of theory, it is worth mentioning that physics is useful for development logical thinking. Being engaged in this science, a person improves in many areas, learns to correctly calculate forces and use all his mental potential. In the process of solving physical problems, a connection is established between cause and effect, a solution is found for important issues and an analysis of current conditions is carried out.
Expanding horizons
The laws of physics underlie astronomy and the study celestial bodies. Knowledge of physics has allowed mankind to achieve tangible results in the conquest of outer space. This has made satellite communications and global forecasting a reality for most people.
Physical calculations underlie the invention of all modes of transport, including aircraft and spaceships. Communication between people is also provided through the knowledge of physics - radio, television and the Internet are completely dependent on the correct use of waves and signals.
Physics allowed a person to go beyond the familiar world and discover new horizons. With her, life has become richer, richer and more interesting. Therefore, when asking about the need for physics, it is worth remembering that almost the entire world known to us was created on the basis of this amazing science.
We are starting a series of articles about problems and outdated concepts in the school curriculum and suggest discussing why schoolchildren need physics, and why today it is not taught the way we would like.
Why does a modern student study physics? Either so that parents and teachers do not bother him, or then, in order to successfully pass the exam of his choice, score the required number of points and enter good university. There is another option that a student loves physics, but this love usually exists somehow separately from school curriculum.
In any of these cases, teaching is conducted according to the same scheme. It adapts to the system of its own control - knowledge must be presented in such a form that it can be easily verified. For this, there is a system of GIA and the Unified State Examination, and as a result, preparation for these exams becomes main goal learning.
How is the Unified State Examination in Physics arranged in its current version? Exam tasks are compiled according to a special codifier, which includes formulas that, in theory, every student should know. This is about a hundred formulas for all sections of the school curriculum - from kinematics to nuclear physics.
Most of the tasks - somewhere around 80% - are aimed precisely at the application of these formulas. Moreover, other methods of solving cannot be used: I substituted a formula that is not in the list - I did not receive a certain number of points, even if the answer converged. And only the remaining 20% are comprehension tasks.
As a result, the main goal of teaching is to ensure that students know this set of formulas and can apply it. And all physics comes down to simple combinatorics: read the conditions of the problem, understand what formula you need, substitute the necessary indicators and just get the result.
In elite and specialized schools of physics and mathematics, education, of course, is arranged differently. There, as in preparation for all kinds of olympiads, there is some element of creativity, and the combinatorics of formulas becomes much more complicated. But here we are interested in the basic program in physics and its shortcomings.
Standard tasks and abstract theoretical constructions that an ordinary schoolchild should know are very quickly eroded from his head. As a result, no one knows physics after graduation from school - except for the minority who for some reason are interested in it or need it in their specialty.
It turns out that science, the main goal of which was the knowledge of nature and the real physical world, at school becomes utterly abstract and remote from everyday human experience. Physics, like other subjects, is taught by cramming, and when in high school the amount of knowledge that needs to be learned increases dramatically, it becomes simply impossible to memorize everything.
Clearly about the "formula" approach to learning.
But this would not be necessary if the goal of learning was not the application of formulas, but the understanding of the subject. Understanding is ultimately much easier than cramming.
Form a picture of the world
Let's see, for example, how Yakov Perelman's books "Entertaining Physics", " Entertaining mathematics”, which were read by many generations of schoolchildren and after-school children. Almost every paragraph of Perlman's "Physics" teaches to ask questions that every child can ask himself, starting from elementary logic and everyday experience.
The tasks that we are offered to solve here are not quantitative, but qualitative: we need not to calculate some abstract indicator like efficiency, but to reflect on why a perpetual motion machine is impossible in reality, is it possible to shoot from a cannon to the moon; you need to conduct an experiment and evaluate what the effect of any physical interaction will be.
Example from " Entertaining physics» 1932: the problem of Krylov's swan, crayfish and pike, solved according to the rules of mechanics. The resultant (OD) should carry the cart into the water.
In a word, it is not necessary to memorize the formulas here - the main thing is to understand what physical laws objects of the surrounding reality obey. The only problem is that knowledge of this kind is much more difficult to objectively verify than the presence in the head of a student of a precisely defined set of formulas and equations.
Therefore, physics for an ordinary student turns into a dull cramming, and at best - some kind of abstract game of the mind. Forming a complete picture of the world in a person is not at all the task that the modern education system performs de facto. In this regard, by the way, it is not too different from the Soviet one, which many tend to overestimate (because earlier we, they say, atomic bombs developed and flew into space, and now we only know how to sell oil).
According to the knowledge of physics, students after graduation now, as then, are divided into approximately two categories: those who know it very well, and those who do not know it at all. With the second category, the situation worsened especially when the time for teaching physics in grades 7-11 was reduced from 5 to 2 hours a week.
Most schoolchildren physical formulas and theories are really not needed (which they perfectly understand), and most importantly, they are uninteresting in the abstract and dry form in which they are presented now. As a result, mass education does not perform any function - it only takes time and effort. Schoolchildren have no less than teachers.
Attention: the wrong approach to teaching science can be devastating
If the task of the school curriculum was to form a picture of the world, the situation would be completely different.
Of course, there should be specialized classes where they teach how to solve problems. challenging tasks and deeply acquaint with the theory, which no longer intersects with everyday experience. But it would be more interesting and useful for an ordinary, “mass” student to know what laws work physical world where he lives.
The matter, of course, does not boil down to the fact that schoolchildren read Perelman instead of textbooks. We need to change our approach to teaching. Many sections (for example, quantum mechanics) could be removed from the school curriculum, others could be reduced or revised, if not for the ubiquitous organizational difficulties, the fundamental conservatism of the subject and educational system generally.
But let us dream a little. After these changes, perhaps, the general social adequacy would also increase: people would be less likely to trust all sorts of torsion swindlers who speculate on the "protection of the biofield" and "normalization of the aura" with the help of simple devices and pieces of unknown minerals.
We already observed all these consequences of a vicious education system in the 90s, when the most successful swindlers even used considerable sums from the state budget, and we are observing now, although on a smaller scale.
The famous Grigory Grabovoi not only assured that he could resurrect people, but also removed asteroids from the Earth with the power of thought and “psychically diagnosed” government aircraft. He was patronized not by anyone, but by General Georgy Rogozin, deputy head of the Security Service under the President of the Russian Federation.
