Reply to Is high school physics necessary for college admissions?

Forum Index » College and University Discussion

Reply to "Is high school physics necessary for college admissions?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I think the question is:  should a non-science/math kid take a class in which it’s a given s/he will get a bad grade?  Or should they instead substitute a different science class, one in which they will hopefully get a decent grade?  I mean, why insist on taking physics if the kid is not going to do well in it?  That’s just setting him up for failure.  [/quote]

Every kid should take Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Just like every kid should take literature, even if it means getting a  bad grade. Courses are for learning material, not for getting grades.[/quote]

Thank you. This is the point. Just because you are not a “writing kid”, should you be excused from civics or history classes simply because you have taken literature?  Science is important in today’s society.  Every citizen should have basic exposure to chem, physics and bio. [/quote]

DP.  I see your point, but there should be chemistry and physics options that are not math based - concepts only.  You do NOT need to know formulas to understand basic concepts in these classes.  [/quote]

No. I disagree. We have to show our kids that math is the language of science. It is the only way they will realize that science is built from fundamentals and axioms. The rigor matters.  Otherwise, you get people who think of what you term “concepts” like you think of a piece of literature- open to interpretation. We have get it across to kids that scientific “theories” are really nothing like concepts or theories in the humanities. This is not to say that scientific consensus cannot be challenged - but it cannot eve challenged in the same way you might challenge a legal opinion.  They are not the same thing.  And appreciating the connection between science and math is the only way to get that across. Trying to teach physics without math is like trying to teach history without documents. It just makes no sense. [/quote]

And I disagree with you.  Kids who simply are not good with math get nothing (except incredible stress and anxiety) out of science classes that could be interesting, but instead are heavy on higher math and formulas.  I had a wonderful physics teacher in high school who engaged the class in the principles of physics without turning it into another math class.  It can be done.  And it should be an option for kids who have no plans or desire to pursue college level science or math.[/quote]

My kid hates writing. I still expect him to take classes where they will judge him on his writing.  At least through high school.  The same should be true of math.  Honestly math evolved to explain questions we had about the universe. How do you teach the relationship between acceleration, velocity and distance without invoking calculus (even if you don’t call it calculus)?  Without math, these things looks like arbitrary equations. [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics