Physics 641: Physics Pedagogy
An On-line Course for Teachers of Physics

Week 1 Assignment: Reflection on Mystery Tube

After watching the NOS lecture, write a reflection (approximately 1000 words using Microsoft Word) on the Mystery Tube as an analogy of the development of a scientific "black-box" model. An example of a black-box model for the atom might be Thomson's plum pudding or Rutherford's nucleus centered. Scientists cannot see inside the atom, so they must rely on observing what goes in and what comes out to discern what composes the atom. Compare the Mystery Tube to an example of a classic black-box model from science, being sure to discuss any points in which the Mystery Tube falls short as a search for discovery. Since the topic for this section of the course is NOS, be sure to interact with the content of the NOS readings and lecture that were assigned for this week (specifically, some of the tenets). You should also include a diagram of your solution to the mystery tube. You should "draw" on the Mystery Tube template with the Word drawing tools and include it in your reflection which must be written in Microsoft Word. Upload the assignment into Open Portfolio as HW1.

Deadline for completing assignment: 5 a.m. January 30, 2006.

Go to Syllabus for Week 1