Conceptual physics is an approach to teaching

physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

that focuses on the ideas of physics rather than the

mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

. It is believed that with a strong conceptual foundation in physics, students are better equipped to understand the equations and formulas of physics, and to make connections between the concepts of physics and their everyday life. Early versions used almost no equations or math-based problems. Paul G. Hewitt popularized this approach with his textbook ''Conceptual Physics: A New Introduction to your Environment'' in 1971. In his review at the time, Kenneth W. Ford noted the emphasis on logical reasoning and said "Hewitt's excellent book can be called physics without equations, or physics without computation, but not physics without mathematics." Hewitt's wasn't the first book to take this approach. ''Conceptual Physics: Matter in Motion'' by Jae R. Ballif and William E. Dibble was published in 1969. But Hewitt's book became very successful. As of 2022, it is in its 13th edition. In 1987 Hewitt wrote a version for high school students. The spread of the conceptual approach to teaching physics broadened the range of students taking physics in high school. Enrollment in conceptual physics courses in high school grew from 25,000 students in 1987 to over 400,000 in 2009. In 2009, 37% of students took high school physics, and 31% of them were in Physics First, conceptual physics courses, or regular physics courses using a conceptual textbook. This approach to teaching physics has also inspired books for science literacy courses, such as ''From Atoms to Galaxies: A Conceptual Physics Approach to Scientific Awareness'' by Sadri Hassani.

References

External links

Conceptual Physics website
Physics education

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Further reading

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