Rebecca Mattison

12/2/2015 6:34 PM

Fall 2015

The Nature of the Scientists Knowledge

Microscope

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_RMattison

Rebecca Mattison
12/2/2015 6:34 PM
weight of the girl-sled system (W). The upward force is a combination

Fall 2015

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 r in terms to . [Note that the expert has
not yet used specific numerical values for any of the quantities, but
first solves the problem in general.]

ven these initial statements suggest 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.
The Nature Of The Scientist_RMattison

Rebecca Mattison
Biology

12/2/2015 6:34 PM

Physics

Chemistry

Biotechnology

Biochemistry

Astrology
Application tools

Word Processing

1. Database

Microsoft Excel

Courseware

Simulation

2. Problem Solving

Drill and Practice

Fall 2015

Operating system

Internet Explorer

3. Foxfire

Netscape

Excel
Access
Technology

N
The Nature Of The Scientist_RMattison

Word

Rebecca Mattison

12/2/2015 6:34 PM

Fall 2015

Frh

W
Figure 1: The Nature of the Scientist
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
knowledge states and operators, how can we characterize more precisely the
knowledge a scientist brings to solving problems?

The Nature Of The Scientist_RMattison