The importance of the definition of weight
Journal Title: European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education - Year 2018, Vol 0, Issue 0
Abstract
Presented by the Newton definition of weight that identifies the weight with the force of gravity exerted on the body, at the ninth grade, results in miss- conceptions: gravity stops at the end of the atmosphere and needs air for its activity, gravitation is unique to earth does not act in other locations such as on the moon or Mars. There is no gravity in space. An astronaut orbiting around the earth is not affected by gravity. When these findings were researched at high school: at grades eleven and twelve, among students and teachers the same miss- conceptions were observed. No reduction of them was found. Differentiation between apparent and real weight did not improve the results. Facing these results it was suggested to change the definition of weight and choose the one that young pupils use: weight is the force exerted by the body on the hand or any other support including the scale. This definition assumes that free falling bodies have no weight. In this way continuity is achieved both with young pupils' definition and the assumption made in general relativity that falling bodies have no weight. Two research works were made using this definition and resulted with a significant reduction of the miss-conception and even vanishing of some of them. This result was achieved using two different instruction methods.
Authors and Affiliations
Bar Varda| Science Education, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel barvaeda@zahav.net.il
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP8168
- DOI -
- Views 440
- Downloads 24
Geometric error analysis in applied calculus problem solving
The paper investigates geometric errors students made as they tried to use their basic geometric knowledge in the solution of the Applied Calculus Optimization Problem (ACOP). Inaccuracies related to the drawing of geome...
Advanced level biology teachers’ attitudes towards assessment and their engagement in assessment for learning
This paper reports on a Mixed Methods study involving an investigation into the attitudes of advanced level biology teachers towards assessment and describes the teachers’ experiences while being engaged in Assessment fo...
Deepening prospective mathematics teachers’ diagnostic judgments: Interplay of videos, focus questions, and didactic categories
This study aims to describe how energy subject is taught in 9th grades. The study is designed as a descriptive case study with the participation of 3 physics teachers and 85 students. Data were obtained through observati...
Assessment of the implementation of continuous assessment: the case of METTU university
This paper examines the status of the implementation of continuous assessment (CA) in Mettu University. A random stratified sampling method was used to select 309 students and 29 instructors and purposive method used to...
Math is like a lion hunting a sleeping gazelle: preservice elementary teachers’ metaphors of mathematics
Preservice elementary teachers hold a variety of beliefs about mathematics and mathematics learning, which influence their teaching. Previous research has shown that preservice elementary teachers believe that mathematic...