Living Physics Portal: Anchor equations problems

Abstract: An important step in learning to use math in science is learning to blend conceptual physics knowledge with mathematical symbols. Students need to learn to see physics equations not just as calculational tools, but as ways of expressing fundamental relationships among physical quantities, coding conceptual information, and organizing physics knowledge structures. This unit provides tools to help organize a course around a few basic "anchor equations" and offers problems throughout the curriculum best solved by building from those basic equations.

Resource Types: Homework, Instructor supplement, Restricted access

Commercially available in:

ExpertTA

Authors:

Edward Redish (he/him)

University of Maryland, College Park

NEXUS Physics

Living Physics Portal Team

TOPICS

Physics Topics:

Classical Mechanics

Electricity & Magnetism

Life Sciences Topics:

Biomechanics

Human and Animal Physiology

FILES Download0

Anchor equations problems - Models of force

A diving gannet - the fall.pdf

Crawling amoebas.pdf

Stretching multiple springs - toy model of a muscle.pdf

Stretching multiple springs - toy model of a normal force.pdf

The content in Coulomb's law.pdf

A diving gannet - in the water.url

Crawling amoebas.url

Stretching multiple springs - toy model of a muscle.url

Stretching multiple springs - toy model of a normal force.url

The content in Coulomb's law.url

A diving gannet - the fall.pdf

Page 1/1

INSTRUCTOR GUIDE

IMPLEMENTATION

Equipment required: Computers / software

Specific equipment needed: Web access is needed for the homework problems for students.

Basic implementation tips & tricks: A lot of the reasoning we demonstrate in class can hide complex thought processes that we as experts do automatically without thinking. Tying all derivations and explanations to fundamental equations and principles can help students learn to see the power of being able to develop chains of reasoning rather than simply trying to memorize lots of specific results.

How does this resource fit into the flow of your course? I regularly assign problems from this collection as homework and occasionally go over the answers, stressing how the solutions grow out of relying on fundamental (anchor) equations.

PEDAGOGY

Pedagogical approach: Conceptually-oriented activities; Mathematically-focused activities

Skills / Competencies: Multiple representations; Intuition building; Applying physical principles

What insights or realizations do you hope students gain from this resource? 1. Equations in physics blend conceptual knowledge with mathematics.
2. Physics is a "principle-based" discipline; a few powerful fundamental principles are powerful tools for solving lots of problems.
3. A core ("anchor") equation can serve as a way of organizing large blocks of physics knowledge.

Why is this resource useful to life sciences students? A lot of phenomena in both biology and chemistry are controlled by basic laws of physics. Understanding this can help students build a sense of mechanism - how things work and why, and get beyond simply memorizing what appear on the surface to be confusing or even contradictory results.

DISCUSSION

SUBMISSION DETAILS

License: CC BY-NC-SA - Attribution, No Commercial uses and Share Alike. Derivative works must have the same license.

Last Edit Date: January 21, 2025