Websters defines physics as a science that deals with matter
and energy and their interactions in fields like mechanics, acoustics, optics,
heat, electricity, and magnetism. The power of physics lies in describing
a great variety of phenomena by a limited set of fundamental laws and principles.
Schecker (1996) observes that students sometimes fail to distinguish between
a fundamental law and a formula derived in class. He cites an example of
a student who interprets a fundamental law like
| |
F = m*A "as "just
another equation" of the same quality as |
| |
S(t) = 1/2 g t^2 |
which is the equation the for the free fall of bodies. (Schecker
feels that system dynamics modeling could help improve how we learn physics
by shifting our attention away from memorizing formulas. By focusing on
stocks and flows, system dynamics may direct our attention to the key concepts.
His argument make sense if the stocks and flows are easily visualized. Examples
of stock and flow models of Newton's laws of motion are provided with the
Stella software (HPS 1994, p. 62). These pages provides an example dealing
with heat flow in a glass of water. |