The Properties and the Nature of Light: The Study of Newton’s Work and the Teaching of Optics |
| |
Authors: | Athanasios Raftopoulos Niki Kalyfommatou Constantinos P Constantinou |
| |
Institution: | (1) Department of Psychology, University of Cyprus, P.O. BOX 20537, Nicosia, 1678, Cyprus;(2) Department of Educational Sciences, University of Cyprus, Cyprus |
| |
Abstract: | The history of science shows that for each scientific issue there may be more than one models that are simultaneously accepted
by the scientific community. One such case concerns the wave and corpuscular models of light. Newton claimed that he had proved
some properties of light based on a set of minimal assumptions, without any commitments to any one of the two models. This
set of assumptions constitutes the geometrical model of light as a set of rays propagating in space. We discuss this model
and the historical reasons for which it had the head-primacy amongst the relevant models. We argue that this model is indispensable
in structuring the curriculum in Optics and attempt to validate it epistemologically. Finally, we discuss an approach for
alleviating the implicit assumptions that students make on the nature of light and the subsequent interference of geometrical
optics in teaching the properties of light related to its wave-like nature. |
| |
Keywords: | |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|