Drill sergeants in classrooms?

keith99

sola dosis facit venenum
Jan 16, 2008
22,884
6,555
71
✟318,580.00
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Single
Since some have asked for real world illustrations of how knowing physics is useful here are a few.

Once upon a time playgrounds had little merry-go-rounds that you had to push. Understanding the conservation of angular momentum allowed kids to get it going faster than tehy could possibly push it, faster than they could run! Kids woudl push it and then jump on, near the edge, Then as they moved towards the middle it would rotate much faster. Pity the kid who was last to move to the center.

Knowing that the coeffecient of static friction is greater than the coeffecient of dynamic friction has many uses. Sliding that sofa, box or fridge really is easier once it starts moving, e.g. when things change from static to dynamic friction. The same thing happens with starting or stopping a car. Starting if the wheels spin the car actually accelerates less than it would otherwise. Stopping if you lock up the wheels and skid it actually takes longer to come to a stop than if the wheels keep turning and it is the coeffecient of static friction that matters.

If you lean a ladder on a wall or side of your house it is pretty obvious that the bottom of the ladder should bo a ways out from the wall at the bottom, otherwise you could easily fall backwards. At first glance it might seem that the farther away the better. That is not true. Too far back and the ladder can slide down if there is enough horizontal force at the base to overcome the static friction. Fortunately in most cases coeffecient is high enough that it is not a problem at any angle that is at all reasonable. But with a wood ladder on a slick tile floor it can easily happen. And if you think it could happen knowing that once it starts moving it is again the coeffecient of dynamic friction that matters shoudl alert yuo to the fact that once it starts it is too late to stop. So if in doubt it is wise to ahve someone keeping the ladder from starting to slide at all times.

Of course anything that is common has been 'solved' long ago and one can learn it by just imitating others or learning from others, who do not understand the physics behind it. But actually knowing the physics can often be what allows you to seperate fact from fiction in what others tell you.
 
Upvote 0

Hank77

Well-Known Member
Supporter
Jun 26, 2015
26,368
15,457
✟1,099,038.00
Country
United States
Faith
Non-Denom
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Others
Can you explain how they do any lab work?
We have to drive many miles but we can go to a home school event before school starts. At that event, they have textbooks but they also have lab equipment such as bunsen burners, microscopes, dissection animals, test tubes, etc., etc.
When my grandson took middle school biology, he's a senior in high school this yr., my daughter ordered from a company called, Home Science Tools. Homeschoolers have access to about anything a school provides.

There are websites with educational toys and projects. This spring my 6 yr. old grandson and I build a car that runs on solar energy and a circuit board powered by a battery that as the current moves along alarms go off, a whirly gig takes off, etc. We've got a solar/generator dino to build but he's not quite ready for that one yet.
 
Upvote 0

hislegacy

Memories pre 2021
Supporter
Nov 15, 2006
43,640
13,925
Broken Arrow, OK
✟688,809.00
Country
United States
Faith
Charismatic
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Others
Since some have asked for real world illustrations of how knowing physics is useful here are a few.

Once upon a time playgrounds had little merry-go-rounds that you had to push. Understanding the conservation of angular momentum allowed kids to get it going faster than tehy could possibly push it, faster than they could run! Kids woudl push it and then jump on, near the edge, Then as they moved towards the middle it would rotate much faster. Pity the kid who was last to move to the center.

Knowing that the coeffecient of static friction is greater than the coeffecient of dynamic friction has many uses. Sliding that sofa, box or fridge really is easier once it starts moving, e.g. when things change from static to dynamic friction. The same thing happens with starting or stopping a car. Starting if the wheels spin the car actually accelerates less than it would otherwise. Stopping if you lock up the wheels and skid it actually takes longer to come to a stop than if the wheels keep turning and it is the coeffecient of static friction that matters.

If you lean a ladder on a wall or side of your house it is pretty obvious that the bottom of the ladder should bo a ways out from the wall at the bottom, otherwise you could easily fall backwards. At first glance it might seem that the farther away the better. That is not true. Too far back and the ladder can slide down if there is enough horizontal force at the base to overcome the static friction. Fortunately in most cases coeffecient is high enough that it is not a problem at any angle that is at all reasonable. But with a wood ladder on a slick tile floor it can easily happen. And if you think it could happen knowing that once it starts moving it is again the coeffecient of dynamic friction that matters shoudl alert yuo to the fact that once it starts it is too late to stop. So if in doubt it is wise to ahve someone keeping the ladder from starting to slide at all times.

Of course anything that is common has been 'solved' long ago and one can learn it by just imitating others or learning from others, who do not understand the physics behind it. But actually knowing the physics can often be what allows you to seperate fact from fiction in what others tell you.

I've experienced all that but used a different science -

common sense.
 
Upvote 0

Hank77

Well-Known Member
Supporter
Jun 26, 2015
26,368
15,457
✟1,099,038.00
Country
United States
Faith
Non-Denom
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Others
I avoided them like the plague and instead took teachers who demanded more, actually taught and actually cared. It paid off when I took the SAT.
I never had a choice as to which teacher to take until college, there was one teacher for each subject in high school. That's the way it is in this town and many, many towns.
 
  • Agree
Reactions: RDKirk
Upvote 0

RDKirk

Alien, Pilgrim, and Sojourner
Supporter
Mar 3, 2013
39,119
20,158
US
✟1,440,434.00
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
I never had a choice as to which teacher to take until college, there was one teacher for each subject in high school. That's the way it is in this town and many, many towns.

You had a choice in college?

I had some choices of courses, but got whatever instructor was teaching them.
 
Upvote 0

Hank77

Well-Known Member
Supporter
Jun 26, 2015
26,368
15,457
✟1,099,038.00
Country
United States
Faith
Non-Denom
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Others
You had a choice in college?

I had some choices of courses, but got whatever instructor was teaching them.
I had Some choices. For instance, there were two English 101 profs., two Speech, and a few others. I think those were the only two that I had a choice of.
 
Upvote 0

Hammster

Psalm 144:1
Christian Forums Staff
Site Advisor
Supporter
Apr 5, 2007
140,012
25,178
55
New Jerusalem
Visit site
✟1,718,526.00
Country
United States
Faith
Reformed
Marital Status
Married
Since some have asked for real world illustrations of how knowing physics is useful here are a few.

Once upon a time playgrounds had little merry-go-rounds that you had to push. Understanding the conservation of angular momentum allowed kids to get it going faster than tehy could possibly push it, faster than they could run! Kids woudl push it and then jump on, near the edge, Then as they moved towards the middle it would rotate much faster. Pity the kid who was last to move to the center.

Knowing that the coeffecient of static friction is greater than the coeffecient of dynamic friction has many uses. Sliding that sofa, box or fridge really is easier once it starts moving, e.g. when things change from static to dynamic friction. The same thing happens with starting or stopping a car. Starting if the wheels spin the car actually accelerates less than it would otherwise. Stopping if you lock up the wheels and skid it actually takes longer to come to a stop than if the wheels keep turning and it is the coeffecient of static friction that matters.

If you lean a ladder on a wall or side of your house it is pretty obvious that the bottom of the ladder should bo a ways out from the wall at the bottom, otherwise you could easily fall backwards. At first glance it might seem that the farther away the better. That is not true. Too far back and the ladder can slide down if there is enough horizontal force at the base to overcome the static friction. Fortunately in most cases coeffecient is high enough that it is not a problem at any angle that is at all reasonable. But with a wood ladder on a slick tile floor it can easily happen. And if you think it could happen knowing that once it starts moving it is again the coeffecient of dynamic friction that matters shoudl alert yuo to the fact that once it starts it is too late to stop. So if in doubt it is wise to ahve someone keeping the ladder from starting to slide at all times.

Of course anything that is common has been 'solved' long ago and one can learn it by just imitating others or learning from others, who do not understand the physics behind it. But actually knowing the physics can often be what allows you to seperate fact from fiction in what others tell you.
How is that our death rate in this country isn’t higher than it is? I’ve been doing merry-go-rounds and ladders wrong all these years. Should paid more attention in school.
 
  • Winner
Reactions: hislegacy
Upvote 0

keith99

sola dosis facit venenum
Jan 16, 2008
22,884
6,555
71
✟318,580.00
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Single
I never had a choice as to which teacher to take until college, there was one teacher for each subject in high school. That's the way it is in this town and many, many towns.

I had more choices of instructor in high school than in college. Actually in high school I had choices in everything except the extreems. Biology, chemistry and physics all only had one teacher. Same for calculus and A.P. European history. On the other end there was one instructor for metal shop (there was no way I was taking study hall just because I swam and played football).

In college I only had choices for the same class in first year majors calculus, psych (fulfilling a breadth requirement) and German (except for 3rd quarter which was scientific German which was mainly translating scientific papers from German to English). Everything else the class cataloge number determined the instructor, at least for the quarter.

No English 101 for me. It was correctly assumes that anyone who was accepted did not need basic english.

Actually no 101 classes at all. I went to college in the dark ages where 100 level classes meant upper division.

If I had been unable to escape a couple of absolute jerks of English teachers in high school I might have a different view of home schooling.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0

keith99

sola dosis facit venenum
Jan 16, 2008
22,884
6,555
71
✟318,580.00
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Single
How is that our death rate in this country isn’t higher than it is? I’ve been doing merry-go-rounds and ladders wrong all these years. Should paid more attention in school.

Honestly the way we did merry-go-rounds pirobably contributed to their dissapearance. It was rather dangerous (and fun).

I doubt you have been doing ladders wrong. I have a feeling you have the bottom 2-30 feet out from the top, not 5-6 feet which is far enough to create a slipping out risk.
 
Upvote 0

iluvatar5150

Well-Known Member
Aug 3, 2012
25,021
23,928
Baltimore
✟551,652.00
Country
United States
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Democrat
You had a choice in college?

I had some choices of courses, but got whatever instructor was teaching them.

Some courses offered multiple sections at different times, with different instructors. So, when had to take English 1, I had at least a few different options. Less popular/ more specialized courses tended to have fewer sections.
 
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

Hank77

Well-Known Member
Supporter
Jun 26, 2015
26,368
15,457
✟1,099,038.00
Country
United States
Faith
Non-Denom
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Others
I had more choices of instructor in high school than in college. Actually in high school I had choices in everything except the extreems. Biology, chemistry and physics all only had one teacher. Same for calculus and A.P. European history. On the other end there was one instructor for metal shop (there was no way I was taking study hall just because I swam and played football).
Was a high school a large school? About how many pupils?
 
Upvote 0

Confused-by-christianity

Well-Known Member
May 6, 2020
1,254
384
48
No location
✟116,331.00
Country
United Kingdom
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Private
I remember seeing that show back in the 70s. They followed up years later and only one of the kids ended up in jail.
Some people might think that it was a "success" if only one kid went to jail in the end.
In one sense, you kinda want to say "that sucks". You don't want bad behaviour to yield results, you want it to be a total failure. In truth - bad behaviour, like the adults in "scared straight", sometimes does yield the desired results.

I see a little bit of beauty in that though.
It's a mark of wonderful character to be able to say no to bad behaviour, even when it gives you results.

They shouldn't be beasting young kids.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0

RDKirk

Alien, Pilgrim, and Sojourner
Supporter
Mar 3, 2013
39,119
20,158
US
✟1,440,434.00
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Some people might think that it was a "success" if only one kid went to jail in the end.
In one sense, you kinda want to say "that sucks". You don't want bad behaviour to yield results, you want it to be a total failure. In truth - bad behaviour, like the adults in "scared straight", sometimes does yield the desired results.

I see a little bit of beauty in that though.
It's a mark of wonderful character to be able to say no to bad behaviour, even when it gives you results.

They shouldn't be beasting young kids.

The "scared straight" experiment was not done on all kids or random kids. It was done on kids who were already in the juvenile justice system. They were already technically criminals, just still minors. It was easy to predict that, with no different efforts than society was providing, they would continue the same criminal activities after their 18th birthday that they had been practicing the day before.

The "scared straight" experiment was a last-ditch effort.
 
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

Confused-by-christianity

Well-Known Member
May 6, 2020
1,254
384
48
No location
✟116,331.00
Country
United Kingdom
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Private
The "scared straight" experiment was not done on all kids or random kids. It was done on kids who were already in the juvenile justice system. They were already technically criminals, just still minors. It was easy to predict that, with no different efforts than society was providing, they would continue the same criminal activities after their 18th birthday that they had been practicing the day before.

The "scared straight" experiment was a last-ditch effort.
Yeah I understand that they were the trouble kids.
 
Upvote 0

Hammster

Psalm 144:1
Christian Forums Staff
Site Advisor
Supporter
Apr 5, 2007
140,012
25,178
55
New Jerusalem
Visit site
✟1,718,526.00
Country
United States
Faith
Reformed
Marital Status
Married
I guess you'll have to go back and re-read the thread.
No need. I just need you to explain what you mean. There are lots of discussions in this thread. If you can’t, that’s okay. I’ll just move along.
 
Upvote 0

keith99

sola dosis facit venenum
Jan 16, 2008
22,884
6,555
71
✟318,580.00
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Single
Was a high school a large school? About how many pupils?

Right now it has 2300 students. That is probably less than when I went there as they have converted faculty parking back to faculty parking in the front of the school. When I was going there it had been converted to bungaloes to handle all the students.

That is more students than the college I went to, though recent expansion may have pulled my college even in numbers.
 
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

keith99

sola dosis facit venenum
Jan 16, 2008
22,884
6,555
71
✟318,580.00
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Single
The "scared straight" experiment was not done on all kids or random kids. It was done on kids who were already in the juvenile justice system. They were already technically criminals, just still minors. It was easy to predict that, with no different efforts than society was providing, they would continue the same criminal activities after their 18th birthday that they had been practicing the day before.

The "scared straight" experiment was a last-ditch effort.

It also had several variations. My understanding is the ones that concentrated almost exclusively on the scared part were not the most effective. My guess is timing was also important. Too late and the kids were both tougher and already in too deep.
 
Upvote 0