Równania mądrzejsze od swych odkrywców

This article aims to critically analyse the concept of the development of science, as proposed by Wojciech Sady in the work Struktura rewolucji relatywistycznej i kwantowej w fizyce [The Structure of the Relativity and Quantum Revolution in Physics]. The author uses Ludwik Fleck’s concept of thought styles and thought collectives to analyse the problem of how two great scientific revolutions took place in 20th-Century physics in terms of the rise of quantum theory and special relativity. Sady argues that the way of thinking of scientists is determined by the particular thought style in which they were educated, and that great scientific discoveries are not the result of “creative imagination”, but a product of deductive reasoning, in which scholars closely adhere to the formalism of mathematical theory and the results of experiments. Therefore, scientific discovery in physics is made “on paper” rather than “in the mind of a scientist.” In the “battle of equations with the imagination,” equations always win, and scientific discovery is more a result of the work of a scientific community than solitary geniuses, and can only be made at the right time in history, called the “discoverygenic situation.” The concept of the development of science presented in The Structure is directed against the incommensurability thesis and the indeterminacy thesis.

STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS SCIENCE: WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE

Students’ attitudes towards science have long occupied the interest of the scientific community. The confirmed decline of students’ interest in pursuing the study of science, alongside the increasing recognition of scientific knowledge’s importance and economic utility, makes the issue even more imperative for any society attempting to raise its standards of scientific literacy. Attitudes towards science have been found to depend on variables like instructional teaching and curriculum. The latest research indicates that childhood experiences serve as a major influence on academic interest. The broad recommendation is to concentrate on improving 10 to 14-year-olds’ experience of science. Despite the recent flurry of media interest and the latest research in the scientific community, the school curriculum in most countries is still teaching obsolete science with scarce reference to current, cutting-edge scientific research. There is an urgent need to introduce the concepts of 20th-century Physics within the curriculum and exciting science programs that will enhance the interactive learning experience among students, as is shown by evaluating reports of OECD and PISA results. While this has led to several changes in the curriculum of secondary schooling in some countries, it is still an imperative case for others and definitely for Greece. There are some individual or institutional projects around the globe that introduce modern science and technology to upper primary students, yet of no nationwide effect. This paper aims to review the latest research on students’ attitudes towards science and to present the possible next research steps in amplifying students’ interest and engagement in science.

Tratamento Histórico Presente em Livros Didáticos de Física Concernente à Velocidade da Luz

ResumoA análise de livros didáticos de física voltados para educação básica tem sido matéria de pesquisa há décadas, contando com diversas abordagens metodológicas e voltadas a variados conteúdos específicos presentes em tais livros. Alinhados com esta tradição de pesquisa e munidos de cinco critérios avaliativos elaborados por nós, apresentamos, no presente artigo, a análise de quatro coleções aprovadas pelo PNLD 2018, concernente ao tratamento histórico contido em tais coleções na apresentação do tópico ‘velocidade da luz’, o qual consiste num importante recorte da histórica da óptica clássica que perpassa pela Física do século XX e seus desdobramentos epistemológicos na dualidade onda-partícula da luz. Frisamos que, longe de esgotar tal recorte, almejamos que nossa contribuição possa fortalecer os futuros livros didáticos de Física, provendo uma história menos ilustrativa e eurocentrada, bem como mais contextualizada e motivadora.Palavras-chave: História da velocidade da luz; Óptica clássica; Livros didáticos.AbstractThe analysis of physics textbooks focused on basic education has been a research subject for decades, relying on several methodological approaches and focused on various specific contents present in such books. In line with this research tradition and provided with five evaluation criteria developed by us, in this article we present the analysis of four collections approved by PNLD 2018, concerning the historical treatment contained in such collections in the presentation of the topic 'speed of light', which consists of an important section of the history of classical optics that runs through 20th century physics and its epistemological developments in the wave-particle duality of light. We emphasize that, far from exhausting such cut, we hope that our contribution can strengthen future Physics textbooks, providing a less illustrative and eurocentric story, as well as more contextualized and motivating.Keywords: History of light velocity; Classical optics; Textbooks.

The Periodic Table

The periodic table of elements is among the most recognizable image in science. It lies at the core of chemistry and embodies the most fundamental principles of science. In this new edition, Eric Scerri offers readers a complete and updated history and philosophy of the periodic table. Written in a lively style to appeal to experts and interested lay-persons alike, The Periodic Table: Its Story and Its Significance begins with an overview of the importance of the periodic table and the manner in which the term "element" has been interpreted by chemists and philosophers across time. The book traces the evolution and development of the periodic table from its early beginnings with the work of the precursors like De Chancourtois, Newlands and Meyer to Mendeleev's 1869 first published table and beyond. Several chapters are devoted to developments in 20th century physics, especially quantum mechanics and and the extent to which they explain the periodic table in a more fundamental way. Other chapters examine the formation of the elements, nuclear structure, the discovery of the last seven infra-uranium elements, and the synthesis of trans-uranium elements. Finally, the book considers the many different ways of representing the periodic system and the quest for an optimal arrangement.

‘Wheels have been set in motion’: Geocentrism and Relativity in Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

By decentring our reading of Hamlet, Stoppard’s tragicomedy questions the legitimacy of centres and of stable frames of reference. So Liliane Campos examines how Stoppard plays with the physical and cosmological models he finds in Hamlet, particularly those of the wheel and the compass, and gives a new scientific depth to the fear that time is ‘out of joint’. In both his play and his own film adaptation, Stoppard’s rewriting gives a 20th-century twist to these metaphors, through references to relativity, indeterminacy, and the role of the observer. When they refer to the uncontrollable wheels of their fate, his characters no longer describe the destruction of order, but uncertainty about which order is at work, whether heliocentric or geocentric, random or tragic. When they express their loss of bearings, they do so through the thought experiments of modern physics, from Galilean relativity to quantum uncertainty, drawing our attention to shifting frames of reference. Much like Schrödinger’s cat, Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are both dead and alive. As we observe their predicament, Campos argues, we are placed in the paradoxical position of the observer in 20th-century physics, and constantly reminded that our time-specific relation to the canon inevitably determines our interpretation.

Toward a history of explanation in science communication: the case of Madame Wu experiment on parity violation

By focusing on a specific episode of 20th Century physics — the discovery of parity violation in 1957 — the paper presents a study of the types of explanations of the crucial experiment as they are found in different editorial categories: a peer-review journal, a popular science book, an encyclopedia and a newspaper articles. The study provides a fine-grained description of the mechanism of the explanation as elaborated in non-specialist accounts of the experiment and identifies original, key-explanatory elements which characterize them. In so doing, the paper presents a reflection on the processes of transformation and adaptation implied by the circulation of knowledge — which features as a productive process in its own right — and shows which further insights a focus on explanation can offer to the current historical researches on science communication.