New trends in physics teaching, v.4; The ... - unesdoc - Unesco

Japan
The teaching in this area is carried out using a text, data, photographs, and reference books
with a little laboratory field work. The problem is to devise interesting lessons in this field.
Teaching in the area ‘Human beings and nature’
The objectives are to help students to understand the importance of natural resources, energy
sources, and preservation of natural environment, and to make them recognise the relationship
between human beings and nature. Three points are particularly stressed: (i) a world-wide viewpoint
must be adopted; (ii) natural resources and energy sources in the Earth are not endless;
and (iii) the activity of human beings must harmonize with the natural environment.
A noteworthy feature of the teaching of energy in ‘Science I’ is that it has been developed
synthetically and has not been confined within physics teaching. It is hoped that the purpose
is achieved effectively.
Teaching of energy in ‘Science I’
As already described, students can choose freely from three main themes and no more. Leaming
about energy accordingly depends heavily on the wil of a student. If a student wishes, various
kinds of investigation can be carried out. For example: (1) a case history of the development of
the energy concept; (2) investigations on solar radiation; (3) experimental studies on the transformation
and conservation of energy; (4) a study on ‘science in society’ which is centred on
energy problems; and (5) society and the utilization of nuclear energy.
The teaching of energy in ‘Science 11’ is an open field for teachers, and active studies in this
field are expected.
Teaching of energy in the Physics (optional) courses
The physics course is taught four periods per week as standard for students in the eleventh or
twelfth grade. One or two additional periods are available. Physics is chosen mostly by the
students who wish to go on to further scientific or engineering studies, though the course itself
does not aim specifically at science majors.
The course covers four areas: force and motion, waves, electricity and magnetism, and atoms.
The most important and basic concepts aimed at in this course are those of conservative quantities,
wave nature, corpuscular nature, field, etc. Needless to say, energy belongs in the category of
‘conservative quantities’, and is of great importance.
The study of energy in ‘Science I’ is developed more fully, and is applied to various phenomena.
The conservation law of mechanical energy is applied to many mechanical phenomena, such as
circular motion, simple harmonic motion, waves, etc., and its great application is demonstrated.
Gravitational potential energy in the general case is introduced, and the binding energy of satellites
is studied in some schools.
The kinetic model of a gas is another important example in which the laws of motion and the
energy concept are applied powerfully. The equation of state for an ideal gas, the kinetic theory
of gases, internal energy of an ideal gas, the first law of thermodynamics, etc. are treated in some
depth. A microscopic viewpoint of heat is established by the study of relationship between heat,
temperature, internal energy and the random motion of molecules. Laboratory work on Boyle’s
law, Charles’ law, and the temperature change of gas in an adiabatic process is available.
Needless to say, many ideas and phenomena in electricity and magnetism connect closely with
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