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From: gwyn@brl-tgr.ARPA (Doug Gwyn <gwyn>)
Newsgroups: net.physics
Subject: Re: cancelling forces
Message-ID: <1637@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Date: Sun, 22-Sep-85 00:06:41 EDT
Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.1637
Posted: Sun Sep 22 00:06:41 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 25-Sep-85 08:05:26 EDT
References: <546@sri-arpa.ARPA> <511@talcott.UUCP>
Organization: Ballistic Research Lab
Lines: 26

> Altogether, the 'paradox' exists only because many people still
> have pre-Newtonian ideas about 'energy', 'momentum', 'force' &c.

This is not being helped any by our public schools.  Feynman
presents a truly damning indictment of public school textbooks
in his semi-autobiography, "Surely You Are Joking, Mr. Feynman".
In it, he tells of one science book he reviewed that gave
several examples of different types of systems, e.g. bicycle,
clock, muscles, etc., asking in each case "What makes it go?"  As
I read the examples, I had the same general response that Feynman
did, "Oh, goody, they're going to discuss the innards of these
things!", and the same disgust at the textbook's answer "Energy
makes them go".

I also recall, when I was a Physics graduate student, my Department
was trying to write a research proposal concerning magnetic critical
phenomena and was attempting to work the magic word "energy"
(buzzword of that year) into the proposal; we finally settled on
suggesting that the research would "lead to a better understanding
of energy levels" or some such silliness, inserted just to tickle
the right response out of the NSF.

I think, on balance, government has not been a force for positive
good in either education or science research; to the contrary, it
has crippled minds, wasted resources, and entrenched mediocrity.
There are exceptions to this general trend, but they are just that.


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