The instruction of Galilean relativity and relative rotating motion to students of a Department of Elementary Education

Anastassia Evagelopoulou
Physics teacher, Secondary Education, e-mail: anevag@otenet.gr
Pavlos Mihas
Demokritus University, Department of Elementary Education, pmichas@eled.duth.gr

In this work, we investigate the level that the concepts and laws of Galilean Relativity can become intelligible, practical and applicable by undergraduate students of Department of Elementary Education. In order to succeed that, the students were asked to answer a pre-test questionnaire, to attend lectures ( using work-sheets) and to answer a post-test questionnaire. The lectures aimed at the study of : 1.inertial and non inertial frames of reference, 2. relative motion (transformation of velocity), 3.inertial forces (centrifugal, Coriolis), 4. the role of friction to relative rotating motion of a body (with regard to inertial and non inertial observer). The results of our research indicate that the lectures supported students to understand the relative motion, to calculate relative speeds, to realize that different observers (inertial and non inertial) record different tracks and different forces, although they attend the same phenomenon (motion of a body).