Education Articles

Here is the collection of expert education articles that deal with academia, pedagogy and education in general. Some of these are in the perspective of the student, some as an administrator and others as a teacher.

chatgpt-reliable

Why ChatGPT Is Unreliable: Design Limits and Misconceptions

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138 Comments
ChatGPT's reliability I'll start with the simple fact: ChatGPT is not a reliable answerer to questions. Wolfram's explanation To try to explain why from…
Carl Sagan

Popular Science Communication: Bridging Science & Public

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19 Comments
Abstract Famous Science Communicators There is so much to say about the many endeavors by professional scientists to explain to us the world. The list…
mechanical conservation of energy

Why Bother Teaching Mechanical Energy Conservation?

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7 Comments
Note: It is assumed that the reader has read part I and part II of the series. Earlier partsIs Mechanical Energy Conservation Free of Ambiguity? …
abacus introduction

Suanpan & Soroban: History, Design, and Usage Guide

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7 Comments
Introduction Overview Abacuses are commonly seen in ancient civilizations around the world as a convenient tool for simple calculations. In this article…
workethic

Why Work Ethic Is a Key to Success for Science Majors

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25 Comments
Student Success and Key Factors After earning a 4.0 GPA in his first semester as a Physics major at an esteemed state university, our son (and homeschool…
undergradresearch

Finding Niches for Publishable Undergraduate Research

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6 Comments
What 'Publishable' Means Undergraduate interest in research is a good thing; it's even better if they aspire to publish their work for review and consideration…
coldquestioning

How to Ask Questions Effectively and Avoid Cold Questions

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70 Comments
Common Questions We Receive We frequently get questions such as these:"What is energy?""What are Cooper Pairs?""What is conservation of momentum?"etc...etc. Why…
physicslab

Revamping Undergraduate Introductory Physics Laboratory

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19 Comments
Introduction This is a compilation of my blog entry on this singular "project" to change the way we conduct the introductory physics laboratory in most…
learned

Learning to Learn: Key Skill for Aspiring Physicists

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9 Comments
Context: The Question I Get Asked I mentioned in an earlier Insight what I think are the most important things you can learn by being on Physics Forums.…
boatramps

Real Research in Unexpected Places; Boat Ramps

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4 Comments
Read part 1 -Backyards, Barns, Bayous Air Force Academy appointment When I was offered a job at the Air Force Academy, it seemed like an opportunity to…
fakenews

Spotting Fake Science News: Wendelstein 7‑X & Media

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107 Comments
Fake News, Data, and the Need to Check Sources During and even after the recent US election campaign, numerous reports of fake or misleading news were…
fishresearch

Real Research in Unexpected Places: Backyards, Barns, Bayous

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2 Comments
Challenging the Myth of Institutional Labs 21st-century science labors under the myth that good experimental science requires expensive lab facilities…
whystudyphysics

Why Study Physics? A Bit Goes a Long Way!

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6 Comments
Why Study Physics? If you don’t plan to become a scientist or an engineer, is there a good reason to study physics?  I say, “Yes,” because knowing…
govandteachers

Fixing Scientific Integrity: Teachers, Editors, and Data

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46 Comments
Introduction The article, "Governmental policy is wrecking science," makes some interesting points but is fundamentally in error, because government…
quantumhard

Why Quantum Mechanics Feels Difficult — Mathematical Bridge

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253 Comments
[CONTENT] QM's formalism Overview of the formalism Strangely enough, quantum mechanics (QM)'s formalism isn't any more difficult than other areas of…
imagination

Why Imagination Without Knowledge Is Ignorance Waiting to Happen

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15 Comments
Introduction My feelings on people who think that imagination is more important than knowledge are well-known. These people simply are parroting Einstein's…

Why You Should Not Use Wikipedia As Your Primary Source

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108 Comments
It is no secret to anyone who has read my posts in this forum for a while that I do not like Wikipedia. I think that there is a fundamental flaw with the…
learnfrompf

The Most Important Thing You Can Learn from Physics Forums

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15 Comments
Introduction It is a bit pompous of me to think that I can tell you the most important thing you can learn from Physics Forums (PF). After all, each…
theoex

False Physics Major Dichotomy: Theorist or Experimentalist?

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27 Comments
Figure showing links between ballistic pressure waves and traumatic brain injury.Many physics majors believe that pursuing a Ph.D. in…