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A voyage through
h
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i andd Creative
C i Engineering
E i
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Dr Joseph Shapira
jshapira@netvision.net.il

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2

Intuitive Physics

Dr Joseph Shapira

Poincare
We

(Mathematician and physicist, end of 19th c)

prove by logic, but discover by Intuition

Established discoveries create rules
Memorizing the rules cement the present knowledge

New creation requires intuition

that breaks out of the axioms

Intuitive Physics

Dr Joseph Shapira

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If he is a Mathematician why did he experiment with matter ( water,
sky,
k light)
li h ) andd then
h with
i h all
ll kinds
ki d off creatures before
b f
creating
i man??
Two approaches:
Physics is a mirror of Mathematics. Its rules are axioms
and the reality forges

Physics is the way to understand the material world

Concerned with the observed and measured
Mathematics is a reductive envelope
that represents the concepts our ideas

Intuitive Physics

Dr Joseph Shapira

Wh is
What
i Understanding
U d
di ?
Understanding is the buildup of a story
That links an experience and inference with previous
mental picture of the world
world
mental
And builds an enriched picture.
Understanding
g is the new ability
y to solve new situations.
The process is individual and depends on the social
networks and the data mining program in his mind.
Learning that is not linked to the world picture
and to previous experiences is rote , not understanding.
5

Intuitive Physics

Dr Joseph Shapira

Wh does
What
d
i take
it
k to understand
d
d?
A world of concepts and experiences that assimilate into the
personal controlled space.
Linkage of the new experience to previous , similar ones (=intuition)
( intuition)
Assessment building of linkage to known events by estimation
Imagination planting the novel concept into the known world
picture, then seeking a match
picture
match.
Critics
Posing the concept to independent tests by comparison to known
rules/situations.
rules/situations
Logical inference

Motivation etching in the consciousness

Intuitive Physics

Dr Joseph Shapira

Einstein
and the importance of the mental picture
From Einstains Biography ( Walter Isakson 2007):
During his 16s Einstein attended highschool based on Pasteluccis
phylosophy that encourages the pupils to imagine pictures,
extract their own inferences from observations, develop
intuitions, conceptual thinking and visual imaging

The
The visual understanding of concepts became a
substantial aspect of his genius
this kind of visual Gedankenexperiments became a
symbol of his career

Intuitive Physics

Dr Joseph Shapira

A few things learnt about the brain

The brain
Th
b i researchh is
i advancing
d
i in
i giant
i t steps.
t
There
Th is
i no model
d l yet,
t but
b t many
characteristics not known till recent
The brain is mission-oriented - a sentinel for survival:
identifier of

Predator, Pray, Preservation of the species

= Motivation

It accumulates and processes observables from all senses according to its

expectation from the situation
The brain decides fast, by estimating probability. Does not look for perfection.
It decides
d id by
b wisdom
id
off the
th crowd
d from
f
multiple
lti l sensors andd memories
i
weighted for relevance by its individual search machine its Google
Dr Dino Levy, purple school for brain research, TAU
http://video.tau.ac.il/events/index.php?option=com_k
p
p p p
_ 2&view=item&
id=4569:sectech-brain-dino-levi&Itemid=425&lang=en

Intuitive Physics

Dr Joseph Shapira

The Internet of Thoughts

g
http://video.tau.ac.il/events/index.php?option=com_k2&view=itemlist&task=category&id=836:thebrain-revolution-technology-and-the-human-brain&Itemid=425&lang=en

The connectivity through the brain is similar to the Internet: there are nodes,
and differently busy links, according to the associative activity.
The network has a generic structure, but details that depend on the
individual according to his history and activity.
Connectivity increases, and the number of linking associative steps
decreases with the accumulation of multiple
multiple-aspects
aspects related experiences,
and a rich intuition is developed.
The understanding process is individual and depends on the personal
internet of thoughts
thoughts.
internet
Learning of isolated topics create isolated islands in the internet.
Learning of connected and multiple aspects experiences builds a rich
connectivity
i i andd fast
f convergence off thoughts
h
h Intuition
I t iti .
Intuitive Physics

Dr Joseph Shapira

Adjustment of education for the 21st c?

Face reality
Education of the young to become a self-supportive
self-supportive, contributor and
harmonized citizen within the country and the society.
Physics books and program have not changed over the last 60 years
The environment changed and continues fast.
fast
Technology offering and handling becomes a major part of daily life
Information is readily available anywhere, any time
operational occupations are replaced by automation
Even production workers need familiarity with complexity of equipment

The occupational focus shifts to integration of systems

Creativity and broad interdisciplinary resourcefulness is needed

The scientific education requirements changed

10

Intuitive Physics

Dr Joseph Shapira

The missing basics

Ref: The missing Basics, D. Goldberg,
in Grasso, D. (ed.) The future of engineering education and practice. 2009

1.
2.
3.
4.
5
5.
6.
7
7.

11

Difficulty in asking questions

Labeling technology and design challenges
Modeling problems qualitatively
Decomposing design problems
G th i data
Gathering
d t
Visualizing solutions and generating ideas
Communicating solutions in written and oral form

Intuitive Physics

Dr Joseph Shapira

Why mid-school?
Physics is elective. The student decides during mid-school.
Considerations:
Interest, prestige, professional prospects
Counter considerations:
Image of difficulty, intended only to specials
Fear of failure
E
Excessive
i effort
ff t comparedd to
t alternative
lt
ti routes
t
Motivating strategies:
Linkage to the world of interests of the pupil
Challenge of conceptual understanding
and broadening the controlled space
Motivation by achievement, by group learning
12

Intuitive Physics

Dr Joseph Shapira

When Axiom meets Intuition

Intuition

Axiomatic rules
The rule as a starting point
-Reality has to comply
presume and ignore

A detailed holistic picture of the

scenario

I
Inquiry
i bottom-up
b tt

Top
Top Down
Down inquiry

-A guess is needed to bridge between

rules library and concepts

-A broad connectivity space to similar

scenarios
-Multiple
u p e parameters
p
e e s for
o comparison
co p so
-Multidimensional basis for credibility
evaluation

IImagination
i ti building
b ildi conceptual
t l
model from selected rules.
Difficulties in assessment of the
model expected performance and
credibility

Typifies a novice scientist

13

The reality as a starting point

Imagination
g
building
g the model byy
similarity and matching rules
Interplay between holistic and rulematching
g test for credibilityy
Typifies an expert/ mature scientist
Intuitive Physics

Dr Joseph Shapira

When Intuition meets a Conflict

When the intuition meets a conflict with the observation
It is naturally retuned when the conflict is moderate
It looses confidence when the conflict is essential.
Adjusting
Adj
ti iintuition:
t iti
Creation of stepped moderate gap-bridging conflicts
tunes the intuition.

14

Intuitive Physics

Dr Joseph Shapira

Richard Feynmann
Nobelist physicist and an esteemed teacher
I can't understand anything in general unless I'm carrying
along in my mind a specific example and watching it go
Understanding from the actual case to abstraction

"Physics
Physics is not complete
We do not know yet how the machine works
There is no axioms that reality has to match to,
But rules derived from observations and analysis

15

Intuitive Physics

Dr Joseph Shapira

Exercise vs. Inquiry

Exercise
Force is an external parameter
Size, direction, axis, time march
Arbitrary introduction
Scaling of material parameters
Parameters and their relations are
arbitrary
bit

Exercises are built around

rules. Learningg and
exercising is Bottom-up
This is novice thinking

Inquiry
q y
Contact forces
Impact events

Inter relations between force

Inter-relations
development and material
parameters: shape, size, elasticity

Material parameters determine the

validity
lidi off the
h scenario
i
Observation encompasses the
entirety. Top-down.
Additional details invoke similarity
and relevance intuition

This is expert thinking

16

Intuitive Physics

Dr Joseph Shapira

Rules and systems

Rules and axioms
Rules are reduced
models, used as
axioms in conceiving
physics
physics.
Teaching rules, chapter
by chapter, creates a
pile of knowledge
bricks
17

System
Is an aggregate of components,
i t
inter-related
l t db
by rules,
l
th
thatt h
has a
characteristic behavior.
Each component is also a system.

Nature is a system of systems:

Atoms, molecules,..
A system is a mental concept.
It iis encompassed
d and
dd
defined
fi d b
by itits
purpose, or by the questions we
seek an answer to.

Intuitive Physics

Dr Joseph Shapira

On building realistic examples

The order of complexity of
Newtonian physics:
Particles Newton
Newtons
s laws

Contact/impact; fields

Material bodies

Shape, density,
Shape
density elasticity,
elasticity
moments, friction
Continuum waves, fluids
Multibody gas, thermodynamics
This order differs from the order a
child is acquainted with in his
neighborhood
18

Physics teacher needs a daring

leap from the teaching
material to a realistic example:

Material dimensions and features

Friction, moments, elasticity
and their interaction
Linking the student from the
observations to the relevant rules
through analysis, estimation,
bounds of validity
validity.

This is the essence of

p learning
g
Deep
Intuitive Physics

Dr Joseph Shapira

Inquiry of systems
Vtx tw xyyxv

Logical/ causal axis

Strructural ax
xis

Vx tw
vx

Top-down

Forward Rules

Backward

Structure

Bottom-up

19

Intuitive Physics

Dr Joseph Shapira

Analysis of systems
Complex systems are not transparent
System inquiry is seeking the topology that links cause to
the observed effect.
Logic/ causal axis (balance and sequence of rules)
Observed effect
Possible source/ rule
Structural/ geometrical axis
Observed structure
Possible building blocks
Th course off inquiry
The
i
i is
i a ttravell b
back
k and
d fforth
th iin b
both
th axes:
From observation to laws, from the whole to components
20

Intuitive Physics

Dr Joseph Shapira

Research or Inquiry?
Inquiry
q y is a learning
gp
process. The student is required
q
to broaden his
knowledge on the world, get acquainted with science culture and
proficiencies in a short time.

21

Student Inquiry
q y

Scientific research

Goals

Learn science culture /logic

Learn scientific proficiencies
Learn a broad scientific topic
p
Successfully address a
conceptual challenge

Scientific discovery

Value

Value to the student (and

teacher)

Value to science and society

Valuation

Inquiry process
Knowledge acquired
V l off comprehension
Value
h i

Value of discovery

Intuitive Physics

Dr Joseph Shapira

Notes on inquiry projects goals

Satisfaction of curiosity knowledge,
knowledge inference and relevance
are sought by the student, not pushed by the teacher.

Deepening understanding a mental picture is created by

inquiring details
details, limits
limits, similarities that links the topic to a bigger
picture. A story is created.

Assimilation of researchers qualities

Observation and questioning,
Data gathering, analyzing and hypothesizing
Planning performing,
Planning,
performing cooperating
cooperating, presenting

Scientific achievement - mastering a new understanding

22

Intuitive Physics

Dr Joseph Shapira

Mentoring inquiry
Inquiry is a joint challenge for mentor and the student
Unknowns
To mentor - Resolution of the problem at hand
He masters the general area of knowledge

To student - The ggeneral area of knowledge

g
-Inquiry tools self learning from available data,
analysis, evaluation, testing, experimenting, hypothesizing,
y g, p
presenting
g
verifying,
-The problem at hand

23

Intuitive Physics

Dr Joseph Shapira

Mentoring inquiry
qualifications, experience and
qualifications
preparations required from mentor
Bounding the span of knowledge required

The basic knowledge needed for addressing the problem and

assessing expectations

Assessing the depth of knowledge required

Mathematical tools etc.

Assessing the availability of the required data and

inquiry tools.
Control over the inquiry question
question, its extent and
expectation.

Intuitive Physics

Dr Joseph
Shapira
24

Are there different types of inquiry?

Pedagogic approach:

Inquiry is a structured process.

The same inquiry process suits a variety of knowledge areas.

Indeed?

High-school physics is based on a few simple rules that are

demonstrated in daily life. Its inquiry exploits abundant
neighborhood and deep logic.
Chemistry is based on complex systems of physical laws.
Inquiry requires a broad knowledge of details and processes.
Biology consists of dynamic system whose logic is not only
physical. Inquiry is knowledge-based oriented.

A different balance is needed between a priori

knowledge of data and methods and understanding
processes in different research areas.
25

Intuitive Physics

Dr Joseph Shapira

Physics is the platform

Physics is the mother of sciences.
The childs neighborhood familiarizes him with physical phenomena.
A small number of rules enables analysis, modeling and prediction.
L
Learning
i
through
h
h authentic
h i examples
l , and
d personall experience
i
builds intuition, assessment, critic, and linkage between events.
Technology is an integration of physics laws with a strategic goal.

Physics learning is the platform to conceptual

understanding of systems in nature and technology

26

Intuitive Physics

Dr Joseph Shapira

g
g{t~

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Dr Joseph Shapira
0546 607088

jshapira@netvision.net.il

27

Intuitive Physics

Dr Joseph Shapira