Calculating the duration of various physical phenomena using basic mathematical tools

Abstract

Abstract A significant approach that should be followed by physics teachers at the secondary education level in order to enhance students’ understanding is to highlight the generality of the mathematical procedures that describe different physical phenomena. In this paper, the common procedure that is used to calculate the duration of various physical phenomena is presented. Examples from different scientific areas, from mechanics to circuit analysis and from nuclear physics to medicine are examined. In the presented examples, the magnitude of interest is always directly proportional to its rate of change. By ‘grouping’ physical phenomena that can be described using the same mathematical tools, the students’ interest is enhanced and their physics perception is increased towards a deep understanding of the scientific methodology.