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Re: Physics of Flight (and Anderson/Eberhardt)

On Sun, 22 Aug 1999, Rick Tarara wrote:

First: Let me suggest that much of this debate between
Beaty/Denker/Anderson (BDA) needs to be taken off the list and back into
private. The problem for list readers is that many of the references are to
previous private communications and to year old arguments which may well be
fresh in the memory of the debaters but are lost on the rest of us.

Yes, there is a problem with this. I don't know what the solution is. I
had hoped that phys-L could shine some light on the latest issues and
bring them to a head. Obviously the question of how to properly explain
airplanes is a relevant topic here. It would be really sad if the only
solution can be "Planck's Law", where the next generation choses a single
viewpoint and stops fighting, and then all of the people involved in the
current controversy go to their graves with the fight still active between
them. "Science advances funeral by funeral?"


Also,
the tone of the arguments has turned quite nasty at times and therefore have
no place on this list. I don't want to shut off the whole discussion, just
keep it relevant for the whole list.

Anyone who turns nasty should have the full force of subscriber
disapproval dropped upon them instantly. If I turn nasty myself, I would
hope that everyone would send me lots of private mail pointing out my
behavior. (If I turn nasty without being aware of it, I hope somebody
tells me!) :)


So if there is an ultimate question in all this, it is: What (if any) is
the 10-15 minute discussion that can adequately convey the essence of flight
to introductory physics students (even those in purely conceptual level
courses)?

If the basic physics is controversial, perhaps the solution is to include
both sides of the debate.



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William J. Beaty SCIENCE HOBBYIST website
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