Equations as Guides to Thinking and Problem Solving

Abstract

Science is the study of nature's rules. The most basic of these are the laws of physics, most of which are expressed in equation form. Physics equations show how concepts connect to one another. But does a study of these equations enhance student understanding? Not always, for too often in an introductory course students are tempted (or even encouraged) to memorize equations or keep them in a handy list and then, when confronted with a problem, to look for what might be a relevant equation and plug numbers into it. Little understanding results. Or worse, equations may take a backseat in an introductory course and get little or no attention at all (as some popular physics books boast no equations).