Dominique Mayo

4/26/15 9:05 PM
Spring, 2015

The Nature of the Scientists Knowledge

Scientist

sing the language of knowledge states and operators, how can we

characterize more precisely the knowledge a scientist brings to solving
problems? A physicist solving the sled problem might begin a solution in the

following way.
The key thing is that the sled (with the girl) moves at
constant speed. That means theres no net force increasing or
decreasing the speed of this system. So, in each direction, the forces
on the girl-sled system must balance, yielding a zero net force. I can
therefore separately add up the horizontal and vertical components of
the forces on the girl-sled system and make them balance. In the
horizontal direction, the forces are the horizontal component of force
due to the rope Frh , and the frictional force f. These forces balance, so
Frh = f. In the vertical direction, the downward force is equal to the
The Nature of the Scientist_DMayo (Where DMayo=your first initial and last name)

Dominique Mayo
4/26/15 9:05 PM
Spring, 2015
weight of the girl-sled system (W). The upward force is a combination
of the vertical component of the force due to the rope, Frv , and the
normal force N exerted on the sled by the snow. The upward and
downward forces must balance, so N + Frv = W. [Note that the
expert picks up a point that the student, simply juggling
symbols, missed: the normal force alone does not balance the
full weight of the girl and sled, because the girl is pulling up
as well as forward.] The frictional force f depends on the normal
force N and the coefficient of friction r. So f = N. I can now combine
these equations to solve for in terms of F and W. [Note that the
expert has not yet used specific numerical values for any of the
quantities, but first solves the problem in genera

ven these initial statements soggiest a very different solution process from that
of typical physics students. What can we infer about the knowledge states and
operators used here? First, the scientists initial state seems to be quite

different from the symbol-quantity state characteristic of students. The physicists initial
state, for example, clearly contains the information that the sleds speed is constant and
explicitly groups the girls and sled, calling them the girl-sled system. Then, the
physicist applies successive operators, which each add more information about the
system. The first operator applied adds the information that in every direction the forces
on this system must balance, or yield a net force of zero. The next operators add
information about the forces in the horizontal and vertical direction.

Biology

The Nature of the Scientist_DMayo (Where DMayo=your first initial and last name)

Dominique Mayo
4/26/15 9:05 PM
Spring, 2015
Physics

Chemistry

Biotechnology

Biochemistry

Astrology

Application tools

1. Courseware

Operating systems

Word processing

2. Simulation

Internet explorer

Database

3. Problem solving

Foxfire

Microsoft excel

4. Drill and practice

Netscape

Excel
Technology

Word

Access

There is a very visual or spatial flavor to these comments, and physicist

solutions often contain diagrams like that in Figure 8.3.Using the language of

The Nature of the Scientist_DMayo (Where DMayo=your first initial and last name)

Dominique Mayo
4/26/15 9:05 PM
Spring, 2015
knowledge states and operators, how can we characterize more precisely the
knowledge a scientist brings to solving problems?

The Nature of the Scientist_DMayo (Where DMayo=your first initial and last name)