The material that follow are reproduced with the permission of the International
Baccalaureate Organization
INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE (IB)
Nature Of The Subject
Physics is the most fundamental of the experimental sciences in that it seeks to explain
the basic features of the natural world primarily in terms of the interactions between
matter and energy. It presumes to describe the world using such elementary (but not
always intuitive) concepts as mass, time, distance, charge, as well as more subtle
constructions such as momentum, force energy, field, waves, and the surprising aspects
of relativity (special and general) and quantization (of mass – atoms and particles,
charge, and energy). There is the technological side of physics that complements this
purely conceptual view, in which physical principles have been applied to construct
various devices and machines that have affected the daily lives of all human beings, and
also of course, to expand the boundaries of physical knowledge itself.
Physics is an organized body of knowledge. It is also a uniquely human activity. These
are not easily separable parts, since it is the activity that produces and organizes the
body of knowledge, and this understanding in return re-stimulates the process that
expands knowledge. It is a dynamic thing that grows and shapes itself over time. In an
educational setting we often try to assess the students’ understanding of the body of
scientific knowledge by the success in describing or applying portions of it. This can often
be carried out using examinations, tests and assignments.
Physics as a process is really a combination of complementary activities. The first
approach is theoretical, in which abstract models such as analogues or mathematical
systems are formulated to formalize phenomena and to make predications for a variety
of circumstances. The other tactic is experimental, in which we link these abstract
concepts to reality itself through controlled manipulation and careful observation.
Sometimes, of course, rather than testing against deductions of a model, the experiment
is used to inductively create the model; In any case, tit is the experimental work that
separates science from pure mathematics or philosophy. The survival of a model rests
on its precision and utility in the explanation and prediction of experimental results. To
assess student success in learning the process of science, teachers must observe
students doing science. Students need to be given the opportunity to hypothesize,
design and carry out investigations, and theorize models.
What must not be forgotten in this discussion of both the knowledge and the process of
doing physics is the evolution of the societal impact of physics and one of the best ways
to explore this is by illuminating its historical development. This can place the knowledge
and the process in a context of dynamic change rather than the static picture of the
world according to physics that far too many students perceive. Additionally, this can
give students insights into the human side of physics: the individuals, their personalities,
their times and social milieu, their challenges, disappointments, and triumphs. Examining
physics with this context in mind can enhance student appreciation of the impact of
physics on the societies of he past and present, enabling informed speculation about the
future.
Physics as an experimental science
Early in the history of science physicists were both theoreticians and experimenters –
natural philosophers. The body of scientific knowledge has grown in size and complexity
and the tools and skills of theoretical and experimental physicists have become so
specialized that it is difficult (if not impossible) to be highly proficient in both areas. While
students should be aware of this, they should also know that the free and rapid interplay
of theoretical ideas and experimental results in the public scientific literature maintains
the crucial links between these fields. At the school level all students should undertake
both activities. Theory and experiments should complement one another naturally, as
they do in the wider scientific community. In the IB physics programme there will often
be a rapid shift between theoretical and experimental work during the study of many
topics.
The experiment can be thought of as a boundary between the complicated, dirty real
world and the clean conceptual models that we use to describe the world. The models
are created through abstraction, pattern recognition and induction, augmented by
deduction. They link concepts by definite laws and special relationships that form the
framework of our understanding of the way the world works. We use deductive and
predictive qualities of the model to suggest how some phenomenon in the real world will
play itself out. The experiment usually focuses on some small portion of the real world
and its associated models. A phenomenon is observed, a model is constructed, a
prediction is made, the experiment is carried out, adjustments may be made to the
model, and the sequence is repeated. Of course, it is never quite that simple! The key
element of this paradigm is the checking of our conceptual understanding of the world
with the world itself. This feature alone sets experimental sciences apart from other
approaches to knowledge.
I would like to specially thank Pat Adams, the Publications Manager of the International
Baccalaureate Organisation for allowing me to use the above extract about the 'Nature
of the Subject' and sections of the "Syllabus Details" reproduced below from the Physics
Guide.
While every effort has been made to type this material carefully, I shall be pleased to
rectify any errors that have inadvertantly crept in. Please remember that the what
follows from the SYLLABUS below will APPLY FOR EXAMINATIONS up TO NOVEMER 2002 only.