• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.245-256
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• 1998

In this study, we discussed about the implications of the idealization, which take an important role in physics, to the physics education. First, understanding of the idealization help the physics learning itself. This is because that various types of idealizations are included in the physics terms and concepts, derivation processes of physics laws and formulas, and explanation of natural phenomena and problem solving activities. Second, understanding of the idealization can help the application of the physics world to the real world. That is, by understanding the extent and the limit of idealization used in physics world, physics students can understand the discrepancies between the real world and the physics world. And also, by modifying or eliminating the idealization, students can extend the extent of understanding about how predictions based on the idealization used in the physics world will change. To do this, we suggested the application of computer simulation program in physics laboratories. Third, idealization take an important role in the inquiry learning for students' originality. The activities of identifying or controlling the variables, as one of the principal factors of scientific inquiry, need the appropriate establishment of the ideal conditions. And to analyze the limiting case or practice the thought experiments for understanding the impossible situation in the real world, ideal conditions also are needed. This study discussed above three aspects with various concrete examples and, with Park et al.'s study (Park et al., 1998), present the theoretical basis for the study of students' and teachers' understanding the idealization.