Physics Teaching In The Technical Universities And The

Physics Evolution in the Last Century

E. Bodegom and D. Iordache*

Physics Department, Portland State University, USA, e-mail: Bodegom@pdx.edu

* Physics Department, University Politehnica Bucharest, Romania, e-mail: daniordache2003@yahoo.com

Abstract. Starting from the study of the Physics evolution (as described by the main results obtained in frame of the
Physics Nobel prizes), this work aimed to study and point out some possibilities of improvement of the didactic
technologies intended to better Physics training and understanding by future engineers.
Keywords: Research in Physics Education; History of science; Science and society
PACS: 01.40.Fk; 01.65.+g; 01.75.+m

INTRODUCTION Chemistry) Nobel prize laureates and of other

Despite the important Physics applications in
technical sciences, biology, medicine, etc., there is a
tendency in technical academic education to reduce to
a minimum the Physics teaching and knowledge of
students, of the undergraduate cycle, especially [1].
That is why this work will examine in detail the
Physics evolution in the last century and its connection
to the technical applications, in order to select the most
important topics to be taught in Universities.
SYNTHESIS OF THE MAIN FINDINGS
ABOUT THE PHYSICS EVOLUTION
The obtained results were synthesised as it
follows: the main fields of the research works awarded
by Physics Nobel prizes (Table 1), the evolution of
these main fields along the decades of the interval
1901-2005 (Table 2), the evolution on decades and
countries of the awarded Physics Nobel prizes (Table
3), the distribution on countries of the awarded Physics
Nobel prizes (Table 4), the countries classification on
the ratio of the total number of scientific activities
years of some Physics Nobel prize laureates and the
corresponding country population (Table 5), the
classification of Universities and scientific research
institutions on the number of graduate titles and the
number of activity years accomplished by the Physics
Nobel laureates (Table 6), the Physics Nobel laureates
with Engineering studies and/or studies in Technical
Universities (Table 7), the families of Physics (or
outstanding physicists (Table 8), and the Physics
Nobel prize laureates with noble origin (Table 9).
OTHER FINDINGS ABOUT THE
PHYSICS RESEARCH AND TEACHING
The accomplished study pointed out also: a) the
main topics of valuable scientific research in the Best
National Universities (BNU) that did not obtain
Physics Nobel prizes (PNP), b) the obtainment of
some useful complementary results (relative to the
Physics mainstream) of the BNU scientific studies in
frame of some scientific fields with awarded PNP, c)
the importance of the detailed examinations by the
international organizations for the academic education
of engineers, not only of the minimal requirements for
each didactic discipline, but mainly of the optimum
requirements, in order to ensure a right equilibrium
between the technical abilities of the future
(undergraduate) engineer and his possibilities to really
understand the physical phenomena that underlie the
functioning of technical devices and installations [2].
REFERENCES
1. E. Bodegom and J. C. Straton, "Physics - the Forgotten
Subject for the Non-Physics Majors" in Proc. of ICUPE
(The Changing Role of Physics Departments in Modern
Universities), edited by E. F. Redish et al., 1996, pp. 755-
757.
2. C. WiemanandK. Perkins, Physics Today 58(11) 36-41
(2005).

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