Star Wars Education

Shawn Cornally over at Think Thank Thunk had a great post on Star Wars. His basic point is that he (and others) know all sorts of obscure things about Star Wars. This can be compared to students - he asks:

"So, why is it that my students can’t remember how, when, or why we would ever want to set an equation equal to zero?"

Of course you probably know the answer. Shawn also began a comment discussion where everyone can share their secret facts about Star Wars. If you have something, post it there.

Let me take this Star Wars-Ed in a different direction. What quotes from Star Wars do I use in my class? I have to admit that sometimes I use these quotes and students just think I am weird - maybe they are correct.

"Try not. Do or do not" - Yoda.

This is really just a motivational quote. I use it to emphasize that you can't learn physics without doing physics.

"Your eyes can deceive you. Don't trust them" - Obi Wan.

"But with the blast shield down, how am I supposed to fight?" - Luke.

Sometimes I use this when I do a demo. All too often students will see what they want to see. In one particular case, there is a demo about which objects will hit the ground first when dropped. I tell the students to close their eyes and listen to which one hits first since the motion is so fast. Really, if you just do this demo - students will see what they want to see.

"You must unlearn what you have learned" - Yoda.

This one comes up in regards to force and motion. Students come in with the idea that a constant force means constant motion. They have learned this from experience.

"That's impossible, even for a computer." - Wedge.

"It's not impossible. I used to bullseye womp rats in my T-16 back home, they're not much bigger than two meters." - Luke.

In intro physics, I talk about gravity and the three body problem. This quote comes up.

"Luke, use the force" - Obi Wan.

Suppose you throw a ball in the air. What forces are acting on the ball after it leaves your hand? It is not uncommon for students to put "the force of the hand" or "the force of the throw" on the force diagram. I like to emphasize that you can't exert a force on the ball without touching it unless you use The Force.