Socratic Dialogues on Science

 

 

Student:    So what’s all this science stuff?

Professor:  If you scroll down, you’ll see a list of Socratic Dialogues that I have on a variety of science topics in physics and chemistry.  Some of them are aimed that those taking a class in science.  Others are aimed at those who are merely curious about scientific subjects. 

Student:    Yeah, I’m really interested in science, but whenever I read chemistry textbooks, I get lost real fast.

Professor:  I understand!  Most science textbooks are written by scientists who can’t really relate to students, and spend so much time explaining deep technical topics about science that they don’t stop to answer questions that students are likely to actually have.  Usually, when you are lost in a science book, it’s because you have accumulated a list of unanswered questions, and that list has gotten too long.

Student:    Yeah, you know, that does describe how I feel when I read science textbooks for school.  I don’t understand because it’s like I want to ask some kind of question, but sometimes I’m not even sure what the question is, and by then the teacher has moved on to another subject.

Professor:  Sounds like you need Socratic Dialogues!  Scroll down to see a list of my science dialogues.

 

 

Chemistry:

Avagadro’s Number and the Mole:  “Why would chemists have such a strange concept?”

Electron Configurations:  “I don’t understand what all this 1s²2s²2p⁶ stuff is about.  Chemistry has taken a turn for the strange.  What do you even do with this electron configuration stuff?”

 

Physics:

How to work word problems:  “I can generally do math okay, but when I see a word problem, I don’t understand what the question is asking or how I’m supposed to answer it.”

Differences Between Mass and Weight:  “I thought that mass and weight were basically the same thing.  Now you’re telling me that this box doesn’t weigh 30 kg even though that’s what the scale says!”

Rotational Motion:  “When something goes in a circle, it seems like there should be an outward force to keep the object out there, and an inward force to balance it out to keep it going in a circle.”

Electrostatics:  “I’m okay with the fact that opposite charges attract, but I’m having trouble with the vector part of the math.”

Gauss’s law:  “Can you give me a quick rundown on this strange subject?”

Geometric Optics:  “How do I explain what I actually see when I look through a lens?”

Rainbows:  “Can you explain to me what exactly I’m looking at when I see a rainbow?”

The Refrigerator:  “I understand how to use science to make heat, but how do you use science to force something to become cold?”

Lunar Orbital Mechanics: “I know that the moon moves around the Earth, but why does it seem stationary in the sky?”