WHO NEEDS TO LEARN PHYSICS IN THE 21 ST CENTURY — AND WHY ABSTRACT 1. PERSPECTIVE.pdfVIP

WHO NEEDS TO LEARN PHYSICS IN THE 21ST CENTURY — AND WHY? Edward F. Redish Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park MD USA ABSTRACT In this talk I consider what physics can offer to students, both as physics majors and in other sciences. The recent increases in the technological character of the workplace appear likely to continue, leading to increasing numbers of individuals who should learn something about science. For many of these people, understanding the character of science, including learning new ways to think about and analyze the physical world, is an essential component of what they need to learn. In the next few years, we will need to figure out exactly what we can usefully teach them and how to do it effectively in the short time they are in a physics class. The critical information for this discussion comes from a careful consideration of what it means to think about and understand science and from careful observations of the actual thinking processes of incoming physics students. 1. PERSPECTIVE: physics — many new sciences have grown to a robust matur- SETTING THE HISTORICAL FRAME ity, including − chemistry When Columbus returned from his journey of discovery, − biology bringing six Caribbean natives back to Spain in 1493, in the − materials science era when the modern shape of Spain was being formed, the − information science. grand journey of science was just beginning. Copernicus had not yet penned h