Units, Jargon, g-forces, and Squirting Blood

• Autores: Mark Milanick
• Localización: The Physics Teacher, ISSN 0031-921X, Vol. 50, Nº. 7, 2012, pág. 410
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • Two of the most frustrating things for me as a teacher are the way units and jargon can get in the way of understanding concepts. When I teach pre-nursing and medical students about blood pressure, they end up memorizing a lot of information that would be obvious if they had remembered some of their basic physics�particularly the ability to change units. Of course, the other solution would be to use units that make sense to the students. Some non-majors taking physics classes are thinking about careers in the medical field, but often don't see the connection between physics and their interest in medicine. However, there are a number of ways instructors can build on students' interests to help them explore real-world applications of physics and medicine. This laboratory exercise provides an example of one such connection, by engaging students in considering why large g-forces may cause individuals to �black out.� We have used this activity with success in a pre-nursing physiology class and believe it could be easily adapted for teachers of high school physics.