GEQ1000 : Q-Module : Asking Questions : Instructions for Students

Physics Segment : Tutorial 2 (Student’s Copy)

Tutorial Group : Date :

Names of Group Members:

Absentee :

Activity A
A) A Simple Pendulum Experiment

Objective :
In this pendulum experiment, we want to find g (acceleration due to gravity).
Our main aim is to go through the process of scientific enquiry (but not to do
physics per se), namely the interplay between verification of a falsifiable theory
and an experiment.

Instructions (45 minutes)

Please read the following pages before you come for the Physics
Tutorials in weeks 5 and 6. You (your group) will be given a
worksheet to fill in.

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A) The Simple Pendulum
Physicists are curious about interesting phenomena (beauty and symmetry) and
how nature works. They are not motivated by utility. Physics is first and foremost
an experimental science where scientists devise experiments and possible
theories to describe (or explain) data obtained from experiments.
Phenomenological theories are used to guide future experiments if any current
theory fails.

In the spirt of Popper, good scientific theories must be falsifiable. Physics

theories are coded in mathematical language. Once competing theories are
verified through a process of error analysis, a theory will be chosen using
Occam’s Razor principle. We may then promote it to “The Law” and it (described
by a mathematical equation) will be ready for use by the engineers. However,
one must remember that no scientific theory, no matter how strongly supported
by available evidence, is final and unchallengeable. So “The Law” may be
replaced in future when we have new data or argument(s).

Outcome of this Tutorial Exercise :

By doing the Tutorial, students will appreciate the scientific process, namely the
interplay between experimental, theoretical and phenomenological questions.
This experimental process is generic for other sciences such as Chemistry,
Biology and Engineering.

The Tutorial Exercise

Section 1) In this Physics Tutorial, suppose we are curious about the oscillations
of different types of pendulums and we want to seek some plausible theories to
describe this phenomenon. Applying reductionist philosophy (on Polya’s
advice … please refer to the Computational Thinking segment by Prof. Leong HW
and the Philosophy segment by Prof. John Holbo), we ask:

Question : Is there a simpler scenario for us to study ?

You will start from Section 2 when you attend the Physics Tutorial.

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