How to teach Newton's Laws of Motion

Andrea Reichenberger, Ph.D. Professor
Paderborn University, Germany

Newton's laws of motion describe the relationship between the motion of a body and the forces acting upon it. The way in which Newton's laws should be understood has been extensively discussed by historians of science, along with the relations between Newton's own formulations, translations and modern modifications. Some physicists and philosophers have pointed out that the laws of motion implicitly define force and mass in classical mechanics. They were purely descriptive, a mathematical shorthand for summarizing classes of phenomena, but carrying no import as to how or why things happen, or what force and matter really are. By contrast, many studies have shown that Newton's laws of motion and the concepts of force and matter are serious problems for teaching. I argue: To overcome *these problems* requires a historical knowledge and understanding of Newton's laws. Last but not least, some educational implications are considered.