TY - JOUR
T1 - Action physics
AU - McGinness, Lachlan P.
AU - Savage, C. M.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 American Association of Physics Teachers.
PY - 2016/9/1
Y1 - 2016/9/1
N2 - More than a decade ago, Edwin Taylor issued a "call to action" that presented the case for basing introductory university mechanics teaching around the principle of stationary action [E. F. Taylor, Am. J. Phys. 71, 423-425 (2003)]. We report on our response to that call in the form of an investigation of the teaching and learning of the stationary action formulation of physics in a first-year university course. Our action physics instruction proceeded from the many-paths approach to quantum physics to ray optics, classical mechanics, and relativity. Despite the challenges presented by action physics, students reported it to be accessible, interesting, motivational, and valuable.
AB - More than a decade ago, Edwin Taylor issued a "call to action" that presented the case for basing introductory university mechanics teaching around the principle of stationary action [E. F. Taylor, Am. J. Phys. 71, 423-425 (2003)]. We report on our response to that call in the form of an investigation of the teaching and learning of the stationary action formulation of physics in a first-year university course. Our action physics instruction proceeded from the many-paths approach to quantum physics to ray optics, classical mechanics, and relativity. Despite the challenges presented by action physics, students reported it to be accessible, interesting, motivational, and valuable.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84983670643&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1119/1.4955145
DO - 10.1119/1.4955145
M3 - Article
SN - 0002-9505
VL - 84
SP - 704
EP - 708
JO - American Journal of Physics
JF - American Journal of Physics
IS - 9
ER -