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The Nature of The Scientist 2007w2 Rmattison Finallllll
The Nature of The Scientist 2007w2 Rmattison Finallllll
12/2/2015 6:34 PM
Fall 2015
Microscope
Rebecca Mattison
12/2/2015 6:34 PM
weight of the girl-sled system (W). The upward force is a combination
Fall 2015
of the vertical component of the force due to the rope, Frv , and the
normal force N exerted on the sled by the snow. The upward and
downward forces 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 frictional force f depends on the normal
force N and the coefficient of friction r. So f = N. I can now combine
these equations to solve for r in terms to . [Note that the expert has
not yet used specific numerical values for any of the quantities, but
first solves the problem in general.]
ven these initial statements suggest a very different solution process from
that of typical physics students. What can we infer about the knowledge
states and operators used here? First, the scientists initial state seems to
be quite different from the symbol-quantity state characteristic of students.
The physicists initial state, for example, clearly contains the information that the sleds
speed is constant and explicitly groups the girls and sled, calling them the girl-sled
system. Then, the physicist applies successive 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 zero. The
next operators add information about the forces in the horizontal and vertical direction.
The Nature Of The Scientist_RMattison
Rebecca Mattison
Biology
12/2/2015 6:34 PM
Physics
Chemistry
Biotechnology
Biochemistry
Astrology
Application tools
Word Processing
1. Database
Microsoft Excel
Courseware
Simulation
2. Problem Solving
Fall 2015
Operating system
Internet Explorer
3. Foxfire
Netscape
Excel
Access
Technology
N
The Nature Of The Scientist_RMattison
Word
Rebecca Mattison
12/2/2015 6:34 PM
Fall 2015
Frh
W
Figure 1: The Nature of the Scientist
There is a very visual or spatial flavor to these comments, and physicist
solutions often contain diagrams like that in Figure 8.3.Using the language of
knowledge states and operators, how can we characterize more precisely the
knowledge a scientist brings to solving problems?