Preconceptions in Mechanics

This second edition of Charles Camp and John Clement's book contains a set of 24 innovative lessons and laboratories in mechanics for high school physics classrooms that was developed by a team of teachers and science education researchers. Research has shown that certain student preconceptions conflict with current physical theories and seem to resist change when using traditional instructional techniques. This book provides a set of lessons that are aimed specifically at these particularly troublesome areas: Normal Forces, Friction, Newton's Third Law, Relative Motion, Gravity, Inertia, and Tension. The lessons can be used to supplement any course that includes mechanics.

Each unit contains detailed step by step lesson plans, homework and test problems, as well as background information on common student misconceptions, an overall integrated teaching strategy, and key aspects of the targeted core concepts. This edition has a number of substantial changes based on teacher input. A number of the lessons are adaptable for college level courses as well. Evaluations using pre- and post-tests have shown large gain differences over control groups.