Avogadro and aids to education

[Vagabond]

Rather than hijack the homeopathy thread, am starting a new one.

 

Cory said, referring to the Avogadro number of molecules (6.0221415 x 10²³ )

 

 

They seem not to have heard of Avagadro's number.

 

Now we were taught about Avogadro in the third form (for benefit of our Yank readers that's at age 13-14)

 

"Equal volumes of all gases at the same temperature and pressure contain equal numbers of molecules"

 

Being blessed (or cursed) with a highly retentive memory, I had no difficulty with this, but many of my school-fellows did.

 

Our chemistry master, Old Jacko (Jackson), had a novel way of teaching chemistry. If he asked a boy a question and got the

 

correct answer, he moved on to the next boy.

 

If he got the wrong answer he smacked the boy's head and asked a second (different) question, A second failure led to a second

 

head-smack, but a third failure resulted in an official detention (an extra hour in school doing a specific piece of work).

 

Although I never got my head smacked for an incorrect answer, I did get several for whispering the correct answer to a mate who

 

was in trouble !

 

This method of teaching was amazingly successful, even with poor old Herbie Cole - I can hear it now

 

"Cole, enunciate Avogadro's hypothesis"

 

"Er, erm, equal volumes of gases, contain, erm, er , ........(long silence) er at the same temperature er have the same pressure..."

 

WHACK !

 

Eventually even Herbie could remember the hypothesis, although I am sure he never understood what the phrase actually meant.

 

I often wondered, during my university teaching career, how old Jackson would have taught some of my denser students...

 

 

"Head-smacking, the lost tool of learning."

Edited November 17, 2015 by Vagabond

[corydoras]

Rather than hijack the homeopathy thread, am starting a new one.

 

Cory said, referring to the Avogadro number of molecules (6.0221415 x 10²³ )

 

 

 

Now we were taught about Avogadro in the third form (for benefit of our Yank readers that's at age 13-14)

 

"Equal volumes of all gases at the same temperature and pressure contain equal numbers of molecules"

Or the way we were taught it.

 

For any given mass of an ideal gas the volume and amount in moles of the gas are directly proportional if the temperature and pressure are constant.

 

I like things that can be summed up in one sentence and are true, factual, indesputable.

 

Like this: "Allele frequencies in a population vary over time.". That's evolution.

 

 

About this head smacking hypothesis of yours. Did you smack the heads of your undergrads when you were a professor? If not why not? If I was explaining something to you now and you couldn't quite grasp what I was trying to teach you how long would it take before you thumped me back? At what age does head smacking loose it's efficacity

[Vagabond]

Or the way we were taught it.

 

For any given mass of an ideal gas the volume and amount in moles of the gas are directly proportional if the temperature and pressure are constant.

 

 

That's a consequence of the hypothesis - and true BECAUSE of the equal numbers of molecules.

 

Its those equal numbers that form the basic truth. a "mole" is a man-made concept.

[corydoras]

I know. I'm just not a fan of learning by rote. My brain does not work that way.

[Newt]

I'm not even sure I want to live in a world where a light head smack by a teacher is seen as a horrible (not just bad but horrible) thing and I absolutely know I could not teach in today's schools without going to jail for some offense or other.

[Vagabond]

I know. I'm just not a fan of learning by rote. My brain does not work that way.

Really, so how do you cope with multiplying seven by nine ?

 

Rote learners reply "63"

 

Those that believe in first principles are forced to add seven to seven to seven etc, - nine times.

[corydoras]

I'm not even sure I want to live in a world where a light head smack by a teacher is seen as a horrible (not just bad but horrible) thing and I absolutely know I could not teach in today's schools without going to jail for some offense or other.

I'm not even sure I want to live in a world where a light head smack by a teacher is seen as a horrible (not just bad but horrible) thing and I absolutely know I could not teach in today's schools without going to jail for some offense or other.

So I'll ask you the same question. At what stage in your life did receiving a smack on the head in order to re-inforce a lesson become something that you would take umbrage to?

[corydoras]

Really, so how do you cope with multiplying seven by nine ?

 

Rote learners reply "63"

 

Those that believe in first principles are forced to add seven to seven to seven etc, - nine times.

9 is the greedy number, it always wants to get just one more so it can be a big fat 10.

7x10=70. Now subtract 7 that you used to fatten up the 9s and you are left with 63.

 

It's not a question of belief, it's about how your brain works.

 

Learning by rote does not suit every brain

Edited November 17, 2015 by corydoras

[Steve Walker]

Really, so how do you cope with multiplying seven by nine ?

 

Rote learners reply "63"

 

Those that believe in first principles are forced to add seven to seven to seven etc, - nine times.

Those who don't have an internal lookup table might be more inclined to solve as (7*10) - 7.

 

The old memory utilisation vs processing time trade-off

[corydoras]

Those who don't have an internal lookup table might be more inclined to solve as (7*10) - 7.

 

The old memory utilisation vs processing time trade-off

That's what I said.