Re: Some more elementary questions

On Thu, 18 Jan 2007, jmfbahciv@xxxxxxx wrote:

"Timo A. Nieminen" <timo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Wed, 17 Jan 2007, Andy Resnick wrote:
Heh... I thought physics was all about "the theory of EVERYTHING!!!" :)

For a specialised technical meaning of "everything", perhaps.

For the record, I never said I agreed with that point of view. But, it does
present a problem in terms of presenting research results- it's easy to do
"biology without biology" type work, and biologists are incredibly
resistant
to mathematics, clueless to the concept that mathematical objects exist as
abstractions to real objects.

We are having a possible reaction against this here, at least in the
education of future biologists - a requirement for having done at least
high school physics, maths, and chemistry or better before getting the
BSc,

That's horrible! When I went to college a biology degree required
college physics and enough chemistry to have a minor.

and a compulsory 1st year course covering the essentials of maths and
mathematical modelling. On the flip side, the bio-averse are to be
required to have high school biology or better.

JMF was required to have biology and chemistry as his non-physics
science classes for this undergrad degree. His college had tech
in it's name. Mine was a teacher's college, for gags' sake.

I'm talking about the late 60s. What happened to these requirements?

Math is one of those things you have to have to do the work.

This is in the context of a 3 year BSc, where traditionally students specialised immediately in their 1st year. The breadth was meant to come from their high school education. IIRC, in the mid-80s, 2 of the 3 sciences, + respectable high school maths was required for entry into the BSc here. This appears to have been cut to one of chemistry or physics, + maths. The proposed math requirement seems redundant with the current entry requirements; perhaps insurance against future cuts.

Perhaps it's a difference in high school curricula? What's the extra content in a 1st year physics/chemistry/biology course as compared to high school?

Anyway, I think it's a good step in the right direction. Yes, the 3 year BSc is narrow, and scientists need breadth.

--
Timo Nieminen - Home page: http://www.physics.uq.edu.au/people/nieminen/
E-prints: http://eprint.uq.edu.au/view/person/Nieminen,_Timo_A..html
Shrine to Spirits: http://www.users.bigpond.com/timo_nieminen/spirits.html

.

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