Does the level of understand and beliefs of laymen in physics that much different to day as in the past?

Question

Education of school student on Physics is making them believe That physics theories are the reality of the Universe?Are they taught to do some thinking on their own?

Answer 1

People today understand much less about modern physics than people did in the past, because modern physics has become much more complex and public education simply can't keep up. Also, most "science" teachers I've met don't really understand what they're teaching either.

Answer 2

If I get your drift right, you're asking if laymen today just say different things than laymen in the past, or do they actually understand what they're saying and why it's true?

That is highly variable, depending on the quality of the schools they've attended.

A good physics course consists of lots of labs, since performing experiments and having to come up with a reason for the results sparks a lot of understanding about physical phenomena.

Unfortunately, any good teacher proficient in science and mathematics could find a higher paying job doing something other than teaching. The result is a shortage of really good science teachers. In fact, virtually all elementary school teachers are liberal arts majors. With luck, elementrary school kids will have a liberal arts major that happens to be interested enough in science to have an understanding of some fundamental knowledge (and most of those have an interest in animals and biology, not math and physics). An elementary school student would be very lucky to have a teacher that could even understand the experiments, let alone help their students perform them.

Most students won't come into contact with a teacher that actually understands physics until they reach high school - IF they choose to take physics in high school. It's not a required course in most schools.

So, NO, the understanding and beliefs of laymen aren't that much different today than in the past. The main difference is that more good explanations are available today than in the past, but laymen are also exposed to more dumb ideas. Not having mastered some basics of science, the layman is as likely to believe the faddish nonsense of a crackpot as to believe real scientists.

Edit: One perfect example is the number of people asking about an E-Mail hoax about Mars making a close approach to Earth this month. At least the askers show enough critical thinking to ask about it. I imagine a much larger number just take it as true - I mean, would E-mail lie?

Answer 3

Good physics teaching distinguishes between observed/measured data and the theories/models which explain them. If this is done well then the lay-man will remember this in later years and be able to discern the difference.
Using the history of scientific understanding is a competent vehicle for such an approach, for example:
Newton suggested that light propagation was by particles whereas Huygen's suggested a wave model. Neither could justify their hypothesis by experiment.
When Young did his classic double-slit experiment mid 19th century the observed interference fringes could be produced only by the interference of waves - Huygen's was right!
BUT, when quantum theory came along, early 20th century, it was shown that light exhibited both wave and particle properties, wave-particle duality.
This shows that a scientific model or theory should not be taken as 'fact', but is subject to review as more data becomes available. This does not make theories 'wrong' but merely superseded; in fact, the greatest scientific advances can be related to theories which are found to no longer fit the facts.
Such an approach gives a proper understanding of the process of science and makes people less gullible when they read the popular press.

Answer 4

I think our school system tries to teach that it is the "laws of physics" that is the reality of the Universe. Notice here I do NOT use the term "theories", because theories are our feeble attempts in describing the realities of the Universe in the language of science and mathematics. We are still working hard in trying to understand the inner workings of the Universe. But the only true and proper way to reach that understanding is through science and mathematics, not through hocus pocus magical incantation or whatever nonsense most crackpots are trying to sell you (via books and seminars) these days.

The fact is science and mathematics does not require you to believe, or have faith, or seek answers out of a single 2000 year old book. No no no. You'll have to learn science and mathematics (through many many years of study). You'll have to ask questions, and you'll have to think. Yeah, that's right. It requires much thinking when one engages in science and mathematics. Because you'll have to solve problems, lots and lots of problems to find the truth and the right answers.

This is the more difficult path to take. It is not for the faint hearted, and it is the path of lesser travelled.

Answer 5

Probably not. I believe we have gotten much more intellegent and, for the most part, we have abandoned the superstitions and silly array of gods to explain away most natural events. But, unfortunately, physics has gotten much, much more complex since Albert put Sir Issac's theories on the back burner. Hense, the level of understanding is probably not much different.

Answer 6

No, if taught properly, it becomes apparent that theories are needed to measure phenomena we encounter in the real world to make things work. Measurements are not absolute and as understanding improves old methods are replaced by newer and more accurate ones. They shouldn't be "worshiped". They are just attempts to explain things is a quantified way you can work with...

Answer 7

It doesn't seem to be. Most people are still totally clueless about Physics (and Mathematics). Just look at some of the questions that show up here.


Doug