Towards a Full Integration of Physics and Math Concepts: Words vs Meanings
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Date
2019-06-24Author
Hernández Armenta, Itzel
de la Garza, Jorge Eugenio
Dominguez, Angeles
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Abstract
Mathematics and physics concepts have been closely interrelated since their formal beginnings in
ancient times. Moreover, from a wide variety of perspectives, it is possible to identify that the
understanding of physics progressed as more complex mathematical ideas became available. In
pedagogical practice, there are many instances where the teaching of one of these disciplines
might obstruct the understanding of the other; this problem, combined with the difficulty of
teaching them inside or outside a classroom, produces a ripe opportunity for educative
improvement. After a significant experience of teaching an integrated physics-math course for
freshmen undergraduate students, a number of inconsistencies were identified and previously
reported. One of those inconsistencies is a trap rooted in language, and it creates worrying
cognitive conflicts that interfere with students’ learning. Specifically, the use by teachers of
different names for the same concepts or ideas (perhaps because they look to relate specific
concepts to everyday language) might be helping misconceptions to prevail. In this work, the
authors focused on the analysis of terms like mass, force, and torque. To do this, they analyzed
various research sources and texts to identify the roots of different names for similar concepts
and their uses, and they considered the consequences of differing terminology and meaning to
the construction of complex thinking.
Raising awareness about the inconsistencies of terminology in mathematics and physics and the
resulting consequences is the primary objective of this study. This work was motivated by an
authentic concern to facilitate the learning and comprehension of these subjects by students.
Accordingly, the authors issue a call for action for a transformation in the teaching and learning
of physics and mathematics through reflection on better use of terminology in these fields, so
that the terms are negotiated between the disciplines, which results in precise descriptions of
what is being taught, free of inconsistencies, confusion, and conflict.
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