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Lecturer(s)
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Richterek Lukáš, Mgr. Ph.D.
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Course content
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1. Introduction to the History of Physics as a Scientific Discipline A brief overview of physics as a science, its development and methods; physics as part of the natural sciences; changes in physical concepts, methods, and standards of proof. The relationship between physics, mathematics, technology, philosophy, and society. 2. Pre-Classical Physics Physics and the study of nature in the ancient civilizations of the Near and Far East. Greek and Roman natural philosophy: the Pythagoreans, the atomists, Aristotle, Archimedes, Ptolemy. Arabic science, scholasticism, the emergence of universities, medieval mechanics, and Renaissance transformations in scientific knowledge. 3. The Emergence of Classical Physics The Scientific Revolution of the 16th and 17th centuries. Galileo, Brahe, Kepler, Newton. The emergence and development of classical mechanics, the mathematization of natural science, experimentation, and measurement. 18th-century mechanics, the Bernoullis, Euler, and French mechanics. 4. Electricity, Magnetism, Optics, and Thermodynamics in Classical Physics The development of understanding of electrical and magnetic phenomena: Coulomb, Volta, Amp?re, Faraday, Maxwell. Electromagnetic waves. Classical optics: Young, Fresnel, Doppler, spectral analysis. Thermal phenomena, the law of conservation of energy, probabilistic approaches, and the emergence of statistical physics: Gibbs, Boltzmann. 5. Physics of the 20th and Early 21st Centuries The emergence of quantum and relativistic physics. Mach, Planck, Einstein, Bohr, and other figures in modern physics. The development of our understanding of elementary particles, the Standard Model of particle physics, and the Standard Cosmological Model. Space exploration and the transformation of humanity's view of the universe; open questions. 6. The History of Physics in Physics Education The use of historical sources, stories of discoveries, period experiments, and errors in school instruction. A critical approach to myths in the history of physics. Historical elements as a means of motivation, understanding of physics concepts, and the development of students' scientific thinking. Physics in the Czech lands in a historical context.
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Learning activities and teaching methods
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Lecture, Monologic Lecture(Interpretation, Training), Dialogic Lecture (Discussion, Dialog, Brainstorming), Work with Text (with Book, Textbook)
- Attendace
- 13 hours per semester
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Learning outcomes
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A survey of a historical development of physics in a historical context.
Student: 1. Describes the main stages in the development of physics, from ancient scientific knowledge to modern physics of the 20th and 21st centuries, and is able to place them within a broader cultural, philosophical, technical, and social context. Link to the Competency Framework: 1.1 I possess the knowledge and skills in the subjects I teach that enable me to effectively plan and conduct instruction. 1.2 I convey the content of the subjects I teach to students in accordance with their educational needs. Specifically, 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.2.1, and 1.2.3. 2. Explains the evolution of fundamental physical concepts, models, and methods throughout the history of physics, such as the development of ideas about motion, space, time, matter, energy, fields, radiation, or the microscopic world. Link to the Competency Framework: 1.1 I possess the knowledge and skills in the subjects I teach that enable me to effectively plan and conduct instruction. 1.2 I convey the content of the subjects I teach to students in accordance with their educational needs. Specifically, 1.1.2, 1.1.3, 1.2.2, and 1.2.4. 3. Critically analyzes historical and popular sources on the history of physics, distinguishing between historically documented facts, later interpretations, and didactically simplified explanations. Link to the Competency Framework: 1.1 I have a positive attitude toward the subjects I teach and am interested in their development and future. I understand how scientific knowledge is generated in these fields, I know how to use modern technology in them, and I critically evaluate subject-specific information sources. 1.3 I guide students toward understanding the process of knowledge acquisition in these fields and toward critical thinking. Specifically, 1.1.3, 1.3.1, and 1.3.2. 4. Prepares and presents a paper on a selected topic from the history of physics, demonstrating the ability to convey historical-physics content in a scientifically accurate, comprehensible, and age-appropriate manner to the target audience. Link to the Competency Framework: 1.2 I convey the content of the subjects taught to students in accordance with their educational needs. 2.1 I set instructional goals and guide students toward them through educational content. 2.3 I foster students' curiosity and motivation to learn. Specifically, 1.2.1, 1.2.4, 2.1.1, 2.3.1, and 2.3.5. 5. Suggest ways to incorporate selected historical elements into physics instruction, such as historical experiments, period texts, the evolution of a concept, biographical episodes, or debates over the interpretation of a physical phenomenon. Link to the Competency Framework: 2.1 I set instructional goals and guide students toward them through educational content. 2.2 I identify students' educational needs and plan lessons so that every student can actively participate and achieve the set goals. 2.3 I foster students' curiosity and motivation to learn. Specifically, 2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.2.2, 2.2.4, 2.3.2, and 2.3.5. 6. Reflects on the importance of the history of physics for a physics teacher's professional self-concept, for the development of students' scientific literacy, and for the responsible handling of the image of science in the public sphere. Link to the Competency Framework: 5.1 I collaborate with colleagues for the benefit of students and for our shared professional growth. 6.1 I systematically work on shaping my approach to teaching and on my professional development. 6.2 I responsibly address the ethical aspects of the teaching profession. Specifically, 5.1.1, 6.1.1, 6.1.2, and 6.2.1.
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Prerequisites
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Interest in the topic and related issues.
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Assessment methods and criteria
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Student performance
Assessment of learning outcomes takes place on an ongoing basis throughout the semester. To pass the course, students must actively participate in at least 50% of class sessions, prepare and present a paper on a selected topic from the history of physics, and compile a timeline related to a significant anniversary in the history of physics, technology, or the natural sciences. The presentation assesses the student's ability to independently research a topic in the history of physics, place it within its contemporary scientific, social, and cultural context, utilize appropriate scholarly sources, and present the material clearly. The timeline assesses the student's ability to locate, critically evaluate, and concisely convey historical information related to a significant discovery, invention, figure, or event in the history of physics. The evaluation focuses primarily on factual accuracy, the use of sources, the ability to distinguish historically documented facts from commonly held simplifications, an appropriate interdisciplinary didactic scope, and the quality of the presentation.
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Recommended literature
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Bořkovec, M. a kol. Kompetenční rámec absolventa a absolventky učitelství. Praha. 2023.
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Bořkovec M. a kol. Kompetenční rámec absolventa a absolventky učitelství. Praha. 2023.
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Kraus I. Fyzika v kulturních dějinách Evropy. 2. díl Od Leonarda ke Goethovi. Praha. 2007.
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Kraus I. Fyzika v kulturních dějinách Evropy. 3. díl Století elektřiny. Praha. 2008.
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Kraus I. Fyzika v kulturních dějinách Evropy. 4. díl Romantici a klasikové. Praha. 2009.
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Kraus I. Fyzika v kulturních dějinách Evropy. 5. díl Atomový věk. Praha. 2010.
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Lindberg D. C. (2008). The Beginnings of Western Science: The European Scientific Tradition in Philosophical, Religious, and Institutional Context, Prehistory to A.D. 1450. Chicago.
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Malíšek, V. (1986). Co víte o dějinách fyziky. Praha.
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Simonyi K. (2024). A Cultural history of physics. New York.
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Štoll, I. (2009). Dějiny fyziky. Praha.
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Weinberg S. Jak vyložit svět. Praha. 2016.
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