2/5/15

10:50
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Jayme King

The nature of the Scientists Knowledge

Using the langguage of knowledge states and operators, how can we characaterize more
precisely the knowledge a scientist brings to solving problems? A physicist solving the
sled problem might begin a soleution in the following way.
he key thinng is that the sled (with the girl) moves at conistant speed. That
means theres no net force increaseing or decreaseing the spaeed of this
system. So, in each direction, the forces on the girl-sled system must balance,
yielding a zero net force. I can therefore sepaarately add up the horizontal and
vertical components of the forces on the girl-sled system and make them balance.In the
horizonrtal direction, the forces are the horizontal component of force due to the rope F rh ,
and the frictional force f. Theese forces balance, so Frh = f. In the verticalj direction, the
downward force is equal to the weight of the girl-sled system (W). The upward force is a
combination of the vertical compponent of the force due to the rope, Frv , and the normal
force N exerted on the sled by the snow. The upward and downward focrces must
balance, so N + Frv = W. [Note that the expert picks up a point that the student,
simply juggling symbols, missed: the normal force alone does not balance the full
weight of the girl and sled, because the girl is pulling up as well as forward.] The
friictional force f depends on the normal force N and the coefficieint of friction r. So f =
rN. I can now combine these equations to solve for r in terms of Fr and W. [Note that the
expert has not yet used specific numerical values for any of the quantities, but first
solves the problem in general.] Even these initial statemments suggiest a very different
solution process from that of typical physics students. What can we infer about the
knowleadge states and opereators used here? First, the scientists initial state seems to
be quite different from the synmbol-quantity state characterisitic of students. The
physicists initial state, for example, clearly contains the informnation that the sleds
speed is constant and explicitly groups the girls and sled, calling them the girl-sled
system. Then, the physicist applies succcessive operators, which each add more
information about the system. The first operator applied adds the information that in
every direction the forces on this system must balance, or yield a net force of zeroo.
The next operators add infocrmation about the forrces in the horizonntal and vertical
direction. There is a very visual or spatial flavnor to these commennts, and
physicist solutions often contain diaagrams like that in Figure 8.3.
Using the langguage of knowledge states and operators, how can we characaterize
more precisely the knowledge a scientist brings to solving problems?

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