Wired Physics Correction Correction

Correction of a mistaken critique by wired blogger Rhett Allain

• Category

  Education

[subh1]

the prof didn't even care to look up the definition of "vector spaces". The identity element (zero) is one of the most essential parts of the definition of a vector space! And what the hell with the other comment!!? Does he mean to say 1-dimensional vector spaces do not exist!!??? Let's reinvent mathematics!!

[silencedidgood]

Way to take the high road Sal. Or I guess the low road if you define down as positive.

[Incrue]

google: wired science what is a vector

[notoriouswhitemoth]

I find it a bit sad that a well-meaning, well-educated physics professor would object to teaching a fundamental concept in his field of expertise in its most basic terms. The intent of the example was not to give a comprehensive overview of trajectories, but to designate movement in one specified direction in terms that a layman can understand. Does this professor expect children to run before they can stand?

[cloudpersona]

Yes because everyone on the internet understands logical fallacies. I do understand your point, but reasoning itself doesn't just require a basic education in logic.

[zAtomx10]

are you reffering to khanAcademy or the critique? Who, in you mind 'cannot embrace change'

[ZialusPT]

check the jacque fresco lecture on the related videos!

[7h3647h32in6]

Textbooks are standardized, but textbooks don't teach, and neither do they make a classroom effective. Teachers are inconsistent, and they make a student love or hate a subject.

Students anywhere can get a standard of quality through these lectures. As far as inverting the process, I suggest you do some research into the teaching model. The model is that students do lectures on their own time as "homework", and do problem work in classes where there are teachers to assist them.

[Simon Tyler]

In Khan's original video, he used an overscript arrow for vector quantities, but not for the zero vector. Also, his casual dividing of vectors to get a scalar, although ok in 1D, could be very confusing for a student trying to do a 2D problem.