WHY PHYSICS COMICS ?

Today's folks, and that is especially true for the young, are becoming more "image-literate" rather than "written word-literate". Looking at a book with illustrations will show us how we react to images and text: our attention is first drawn to the pictures, then we go to the text to see what they mean. Science has created powerful images, but those images can be misleading if we don't understand them within the context.

Purpose
"Physics Comics" is using the Comics form to take in account those changing habits of perception. Images and text are much closer connected, similar to film and TV, than in an illustrated textbook,. The big advantage over film and TV is that the reader controls how fast he wants to precede, and he can go back and forth much like in a book. This opens up the the medium "Comics" for education, and scientific education in particular.

Pedagogical aspects
Physics not only give insight into how Mother Nature works and thereby provide the basis for our Technology. Physics also show a path for the evolving mind in its development from visual and concrete thinking to formal, intellectual thinking. That means for the educator (and this is an old wisdom): the path to knowledge is as important - if not more - as the result. Learning on the pre-formal level (Elementary School) always demands human activity. That's why we can't replace teachers with books, computers etc. Physics Comics shows Physics as an activity of three people doing what teachers and students do.

Didactical Aspects
There are many ways to "say it to the child". "Physics Comics" uses the genetic way, that means that the contents of physics are shown as they evolved historically. Mathematically understanding motion, force, mass etc. is done over and over. This might not be modern, but it's a proven way.
Learning is like building a house, you have to do things right from the beginning, or it stands on a shaky foundation. Learning is not just another fun activity, it is sometimes painful and frustrating, because we are confronted with our own stupidity.

Use
Physics Comics can be used
.....as complementary material for science classes
.....as a tutorial for High School students
.....by adults to refresh or learn their physics in self-study
It is not meant to teach younger kids

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