1. GSCI 163 Matter of Matter Spring 2010 Dr. Kevin Giovanetti (DRG)
Office 2178

2. Resources WEB LON CAPA http://csma31.csm.jmu.edu/physics/courses/163/
JMU PHYSICSGiovanettiTeaching163
LON CAPA
Link on the 163 homepage and on my main page
April 23, 2019
GSCI 163 Spring 2010

3. References Handout on the web
Tillery and other physics science books (in back)
GOOGLE
Wikipeda
Typically to learn a concept I consult several sources as well as consult experts and peers. I can usually ascertain when and what level I understand a concept based on my reading and my ability to make predictions (homework problems).
April 23, 2019
GSCI 163 Spring 2010

4. OUTLINE Scientific numbers, units Matter: solid liquid gas
Atoms: Ingredients and structure
Atomic states, periodic table…
Molecules
Reactions
Solutions
Water
Acids & Bases
Crystals
Radioactivity
Organic Chemistry (carbon)
April 23, 2019
GSCI 163 Spring 2010

5. GOAL: Truly Understand
Understanding cannot be a set of disparate facts that are recalled in a haphazard way to make predictions. They must be a linked map that allows one to reach the same conclusion no matter how one proceeds.
Road map as a set of facts
Harrisonburg is north of Staunton
Harrisonburg is north of Lexington
Understanding links the facts requiring Staunton to be in between. Facts are linked to make a complete and consistent picture. Also previous experiences and relationships are incorporated, driving from Lexington to Staunton is like driving from Staunton to Harrisonburg except a bit longer and through a few more hills ….
April 23, 2019
GSCI 163 Spring 2010

6. ASK QUESTIONS
Read the material before coming to class and prepare questions.
Try the homework and remember difficulties in a problem or question.
Students are partially responsible for the material covered
NOT A PASSIVE EXPERIENCE
April 23, 2019
GSCI 163 Spring 2010

7. How People Learn Important Ideas
Modern learning is understood to be learning with understanding. Facts, relationships, application contexts, regions of validity, level of importance etc. combine to produce an understanding.
Pre-existing knowledge is the basis for all learning (fish is fish). Teachers must incorporate this into their instructional methods. They need to know what the student knows.
Students must take control of learning, Active Learning.
Metacognitive: strategizing, evaluating, assessing and relating your knowledge and understanding (by the learner). Takes the form of an internal dialog rich and multifaceted over process, content, and success one’s learning.
April 23, 2019
GSCI 163 Spring 2010

8. How People Learn
“Students come to the classroom with preconceptions about how the world works. If their initial understanding is not engaged, they may fail to grasp the new concepts that are taught, or they may learn them for purposes of a test but revert to their preconceptions outside the classroom.”
competence
have a deep foundation of factual knowledge,
understand facts and ideas in the context of a conceptual framework, and
organize knowledge in ways that facilitate retrieval and application.
Metacognition is defined as "knowing about knowing.”
It includes knowledge about when and where to use particular strategies for learning or for problem solving
April 23, 2019
GSCI 163 Spring 2010

9. Implications for teaching:
Teachers must draw out and work with the preexisting understanding, which students bring with them.
Students are not empty vessels waiting to be filled.
Assessment should include frequent formative assessments should measure understanding not facts or isolated skills.
Future teachers must learn:
Recognize predictable preconceptions.
Figure out preconceptions that are not predictable.
To work with these preconceptions to build on them, challenge them and replace them if appropriate.
Teachers must teach some subject matter in depth, providing many examples in which the same concept is at work and provide a firm foundation of factual knowledge.
Superficial coverage of everything must be replaced with in-depth coverage of some topics. (Should run through the curriculum. In-depth ideas are carried over.)
Teachers must have the in-depth understanding. To develop sound pedagogical tools a teacher must understand the critical elements, relationships, subtleties… Also the teacher must be able to grasp the growth of the student at these levels.
Assessment must test understanding rather than surface knowledge.
The teaching of metacognitive skills should be integrated into the curriculum.
Enhances student achievement and develops independent learning.
Future teachers need to be exposed to this style of teaching.
April 23, 2019
GSCI 163 Spring 2010

10. Experts
Novices
Possess a great deal of content knowledge.
Knowledge organized to reflect a deep understanding. (conditionalized knowledge)
Knowledge reflects context of applicability and limitations. (conditionalized knowledge)
Retrieve knowledge flexibly and easily.
Good thinkers (not smart)
Guide and controls learning.
Look for inconsistencies .
Plan.
Generates sound arguments.
Notices patterns, relationships, discrepancies and features.
Make explanations.
Draw analogies
Identifies critical components
Recognizes unimportant details
Hierarchical thinking
Integrates facts with overall knowledge base
Not necessarily good teachers.
May or may not be able to extend to new situations.
Are not necessarily experts in other areas.
Fluently access information because they identify relevance.
Not overtaxed with complexity.
Has had dire personal experience with every mistake in his field (lighthearted view).
Potential to become an expert.
Large set of disconnected facts.
Not necessarily slower in solving straightforward problems.
Often miss patterns and features.
Hindered by complexity.
Same memory capacity as experts.
May posses the knowledge to solve a problem but cannot access it.
May have preconceptions that are inconsistent with learned facts.
Cannot place facts in a context.
May not organize information based on important principles.
Group problems by irrelevant features.
Do not posses understanding.
April 23, 2019
GSCI 163 Spring 2010

11. technical atmosphere (at) pound-force per square inch (psi)
Pressure Units
pascal (Pa)
bar (bar)
technical atmosphere (at)
atmosphere (atm)
torr (Torr)
pound-force per square inch (psi)
1 Pa
≡ 1 N/m2
10−5
1.0197×10−5
9.8692×10−6
7.5006×10−3
145.04×10−6
1 bar
100,000
≡ 106 dyn/cm2
1.0197
750.06
1 at
98,066.5
≡ 1 kgf/cm2
735.56
14.223
1 atm
101,325
1.0332
≡ 1 atm
760
14.696
1 torr
1.3332×10−3
1.3595×10−3
1.3158×10−3
≡ 1 Torr; ≈ 1 mmHg
19.337×10−3
1 psi
6.894×103
68.948×10−3
70.307×10−3
68.046×10−3
51.715
≡ 1 lbf/in2
April 23, 2019
GSCI 163 Spring 2010

12. Other properties:
Hardness
Pliability (paper, rubber)
Strength
Divisibility
REACTIONS
Early studies tried to address the quantities of material involved.
Properties of gases
Mix readily
Sometimes the react hydrogen and oxygen turn into water. A large volume of each turns into a small volume of water
April 23, 2019
GSCI 163 Spring 2010

13. Calculating the Volume of Water
Right or Wrong ??
Mix Hydrogen gas and Oxygen gas
How Much?
How much water?
Volume of water?
Density?
How many liters?
1 mole = 22 liters of each
1 mole + 1 mole ~ 1 mole
1 mole of water = 18 gm
1 gm per cubic cm
1 liter = 1000 cubic cm
BOTH !!
Back of the envelope calculation
-numbers are approximate
-H2O
-Both hydrogen and oxyge are diatomic
April 23, 2019
GSCI 163 Spring 2010