[OLPC library] [sugar] [OLPC-Games] Physics -- Newtonian mechanics.. for kids!

[Yoshiki Ohshima]

At Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:33:50 -0700,
Joshua Minor wrote:
> 
> 
> That doesn't mean that it is pointless to use as a teaching aide, just  
> that (in)accuracy of simulation needs to be part of the lesson plan.

  Yes.  And it should be rather more carefully built because the
visual (iconic) impact of these simulations is too big.

  The physics is about constant validation the model against the real
world out there, to see if the model has some power of predicting what
is going to happen.  The model is described a language called
mathematics.

  But the computer is just mathematics that doesn't have the real
world connection.  The engines like Box2D are its own kind of
mathematics, and the "simulation" visible to the user is just the
visualization of the mathematics.

  In that sense, the Physics activity should be treated by teachers as
the tool for teaching mathematics that tend to be used in physics,
rather than teaching physics.  (Subtle distinction but it is I think
important.)

-- Yoshiki