Energy and the confused student III: Language

Physics Teacher

Volumn 46, Issue 3, 2008, Pages 149-153

  Jewett, John W ^a  

^a CALIFORNIA STATE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EID: 85006699431     PISSN: 0031921X     EISSN: 19434928     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1119/1.2840978     Document Type: Article

References (8)

1. J.W. Jewett, "Energy and the confused student II: Systems," Phys. Teach. 46, 81-86 (Feb. 2008).
2. This statement is made under the assumption that we ignore internal structure of the object. Objects with internal structure can possess potential energy. For example, a spring can possess elastic potential energy and a can of gasoline can possess chemical potential energy. These types of energy are associated with forces between components of the structure of the object, however, not with forces between the object and other objects.
3. R.H. Romer, "Heat is not a noun," Am. J. Phys. 69, 107-109 (Feb. 2001).
4. R.P. Bauman, "Physics that textbook writers usually get wrong: II. Heat and energy," Phys. Teach. 30, 353-356 (Sept. 1992).
5. G.M. Barrow, "Thermodynamics should be built on energy-Not on heat and work," J. Chem. Educ. 65(2), 122-125 (Feb. 1988).
6. As a textbook author myself, I do not specifically identify problematic statements in other authors' textbooks in this series of articles. I do not want this series to appear as a marketing tool, but rather as a professional communication that offers a set of suggestions for improving the teaching of energy to our students. I present present items from several textbooks in general terms and not as direct quotes.
7. J.W. Jewett, "Energy and the confused student IV: A global approach to energy," Phys. Teach., to be published in April 2008.
8. R. Baierlein, "Does nature convert mass into energy?" Am. J. Phys. 75, 320-325 (April 2007).