Embodied Simulations of Forces of Nature and the Role of Energy in Physical Systems

Abstract

We experience (perceive, act upon and react to, and conceptualize) dynamical processes in nature as agentive. Expressed differently, we experience events as resulting from activities and interactions of Forces of Nature (such as wind, light, heat, fluids, electricity, substances, and motion) that are conceived of as powerful agents acting and interacting in physical environments. An example would be sunlight creating heat in the Earth’s surface layers, and this heat using the atmosphere as a heat engine whose output are the winds on our planet. In the physics of dynamical systems, these forces are characterized in terms of intensive and extensive quantities (i.e., electric potential and electric charge in the case of electricity). The aspect of power is formalized with the help of a generalized energy principle and the rules relating power/energy to intensive and extensive physical quantities. Concrete processes depend upon properties of physical materials (in and through which forces are active) such as (thermal, electrical, etc.) capacity or conductivity. In this paper, we demonstrate how we can create Embodied Simulations and Forces-of-Nature Theater performances, where children act as forces such as water, heat, electricity, and motion. The embodied logic of the physical play teaches children about the logic of our explanations of physical processes.

What Influences Attitudes and Confidence in Teaching Physics and Technology Topics? An Investigation in Kindergarten and Primary-School Trainee Teachers

“…During teacher training, this should be considered, and teachers should be educated so they are competent and confident in teaching all topics. A child-centred view of subject content may pique students' interest in teacher training; likewise, child-centred approaches may facilitate the understanding of subject content and strengthen well-being [92,93].…”

Teaching and Investigating on Modelling through Analogy in Primary School

“…Not only historically, but also every time the concept of energy arises in the mind of a new student, a powerful analogy is drawn between processes underlying phenomena of different natures. By making reference to the cognitive process known as Figure-Ground Reversal [63,64], one could say that what happens is that all perceptual details of the system under consideration-be it the electric wire, a spinning wheel, a moving body of any size and composition, etc.-fade into the background of our experience, while an invisible agent (the force of nature) and an invisible quantity (the energy it receives from, or it transfers to another force of nature) come to the foreground in our mind [29].…”

“…Hence, the objective of the didactic intervention that was designed and tested, and is presented here, is not primarily aimed at gaining specific skills in electricity (or, at least, is not limited to it), but at using electricity, along with a mechanical and a hydraulic system, to refine an interpretative model-that of a circuit-which is much more general than its use in the electrical context. From this perspective, this work should therefore not only be associated with the research above-relating to the teaching and learning of electric circuits-but also with research dealing with the topic of energy in primary school [26][27][28][29]. In fact, regardless of the materials and dimensions involved, as exemplified above, what all types of circuits have in common is that there is always a distribution of energy along a path.…”

Work-From-Home Engagement during COVID-19: Implications for Human Resource Management

“…Forces exist because of interactions, and individuals experience events stemming from activities and interactions of forces of nature (Fuchs, Corni, & Pahl, 2021). The interactions between the employees and the work-home environment under the COVID-19 crisis produce forces; in the era of COVID-19, transformations or changes in the employees' state or behavior result from activities and interaction of forces in the work-from-home format.…”