Is physics an unknown science?

Giovanni Vega Meléndez

When we define physics, we can say that is a science that involved the matter and the energy and how they both interact; also some very important branches are grouped such as acoustics, mechanics, thermodynamics, and cryogenics, among others. There are various fields in physics such as atomic physics, nuclear physics, solid-state physics, particle physics, plasma physics, and some other modern extensions. Moreover physics study the universe and how it behaves. This science is very important for all work related to engineering, for mathematics works and all works that are related to the universe. Despite the fact that Physics is one of the oldest educational field, in the public schools of the town of Juana Diaz is simply an unknown science. I realize an investigation in the public middle schools of my town of Juana Diaz, where I discovered that none of the seven middle schools teach the physics course (Maximo Donoso Sanchez, Josefa Cangiano Toro, Felipe Colon Diaz, Zoilo Gracia, Luis Muñoz Marin, Salvador Busquet, tomas Carion Maduro). Otherwise in the four colleges; in three of them (Carmen Belen Veiga, Luis Llorens Torres, Maximo Donoso Sanchez) teach the course, in the other college did not teach physics (Luis Muñoz Marin). In those three before mentioned I realize an investigation by means of a questionnaire of four questions to measure students’ knowledge related to physics. These questions are: first question was; What is physics? Only the 7 % of the respondents gave me a concrete answer. The other 93% do not offered a correct answer or not answered. Second question is: How physics relates to math? Only the 20% of the respondents gave me a concrete answer. The other 80% do not offered a correct answer or not answered. Third question was: Mention at least two of most important physicists in the history of physics. Only 20% answered correctly. Another 11% mentioned only one and the remaining 64%did not answer this question correctly or simply not   responded. Some of the physicists more mentioned were: Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton and Galileo Galilee. 

The fourth question was: Mention at least three terms related to physics. Particularly in this question 18% answered correctly. Another 23% did so partially correct. Other 59% did not respond correctly or simply did not respond. This questionnaire was delivered to the mayoralty of this town with one intention, if they do nothing in this regard, this case will be introduced directly to the office of the Secretary of Education. If not occur anything related to this, will be the press who will be responsible for informing the people about what happening in the education agency of this country and insufficient educational distribution that exists in the education department .

This investigation, in spite of its simplicity shows that in the public schools of the town of Juana Diaz is not being teaching adequately such important science. We should take action on this, because it affects future learning of the student and also to our next generations. This is a knowledge deficit in the public schools, not only in this town, also in all public schools of Puerto Rico. We do not take into consideration that everything has a direct relationship with the physics and its branches. Analyze by yourself, is the physics an unknown science for you?