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Physics Force Outreach Program
View THE PHYSICS FORCE In Action
THE BERNOULLI EFFECT 4.5 MB
THE BERNOULLI EFFECT 12.5 MB
THE BERNOULLI EFFECT 26.8 MB
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GRAVITY 12.9 MB
GRAVITY 35.7 MB
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Physics Force Homepage
The Physics Force, founded and directed by Professor E. Dan Dahlberg, is a unique, highly successful University of Minnesota outreach program that was established in 1986.
- The Physics Force has performed for more than 25,000 students, teachers, and parents in the State of Minnesota (most of these in the last five years).
- The University of Minnesota has provided resources for numerous programs that have facilitated connections between elementary and secondary school teachers and University faculty. The Physics Force is an excellent example of the University of Minnesota’s outreach charter to help build and strengthen K-12 education.
- The Physics Force has been recognized internationally, with televised performances on Germany’s extremely popular Knoff-Hoff show, Newton’s Apple, and live performances at Disney’s Epcot Center in Florida.
- The Physics Force has performed for the national meeting of the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) in Minneapolis and the combined AAPT-American Physical Society meeting in Alexandria, Minnesota, organized by Dr. Brian Swartz.
- Newton’s Apple has produced a video of the national AAPT Physics Force show and aired excerpts from this show numerous times (one member of The Force team, Jack Netland, was the regular "physics expert" on Newton’s Apple).
Purpose of The Physics Force
The Physics Force in an effective outreach program serving as an excellent, positive attitude builder toward science for students and adults alike, while providing science resources to K-12 teachers.
The Physics Force presents science in an informative but enjoyable manner. Demonstrations are fun and playful, emphasizing the process of learning science, illustrating complex concepts, and prompting further exploration by students. Each segment of the show begins with an illustrative demonstration, then escalates the excitement through even more vivid examples of physics principles.
The Physics Force was established to answer the sizable body of research that has revealed poor attitudes of students toward science as the major obstacle for science teachers. Student attitudes toward science are generally very positive in the early elementary grades but deteriorate in the secondary years.
After seeing a performance of The Physics Force, many students express a genuine interest in and a more positive attitude toward science. The emphasis is not on ingraining complex principles of physics, but rather on building an appreciation for the subject of physics. This is analogous to taking a young person to the symphony, where the emphasis is not on learning music theory, but rather on appreciating quality music. The Force promotes discussion between students that raises their sensitivity about science and what it can do and has done for humankind.
As a K-12 resource for teachers, demonstrations should be part of every teacher’s arsenal of teaching tools to motivate and reinforce science. Demonstration shows such as the Physics Force provide teachers with new pedagogical tools. The Physics Force has strengthened connections between public school teachers and college science professors.
Nothing brings the excitement of science to the attention of a student like demonstrations. They have universal appeal and often lead to a life-long interest, maybe in the form of a science-related occupation or simply a refreshed and enriching outlook toward science. Numerous students have communicated that their interest in science increased after seeing the Physics Force. Many of these have become science and engineering students at the University.
The present members of The Physics Force are Jon Barber, Dan Dahlberg (Professor of Physics at the University of Minnesota), Jack Netland, Fred Orsted (teacher at Maple Grove High School), Aaron Pinski (high school teacher at John F. Kennedy), and Hank Ryan. Barber, Netland, and Ryan have recently retired from careers as High School Physics and Chemistry teachers.
A new demonstration team, The Physics Force-The Next Generation is developing their own show. In keeping with the University/K-12 partnership, The Next Generation team is made up of three K-12 instructors and two U of Minnesota faculty (Professors Cynthia Cattell and James Kakalios). The new team will ensure the continuation of the Physics Force while increasing the diversity of the program (three of the five are women).
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