Address by Charles H. Holbrow on the occasion of receiving the 2012 Oersted Medal of the AAPT
Abstract
Physics is the syntax and grammar of science; it is the rules. Therefore, you must learn physics to write, speak, or do good science. But knowing the rules of physics won’t make you a good physicist or a good physics teacher any more than knowing grammar will make you a good writer. To bring physics alive you need strong narratives and interesting content. I will describe three examples: A course–“The Physics of Living in Space” a textbook–Modern Introductory Physics; and a project–Astronomy’s Discoveries and Physics Education. I will also show examples of what I mean by “Witz” and why it is important in physics.