A STUDY OF CORRELATION BETWEEN STUDENTS’ PERFORMANCE IN PHYSICS AND MATHEMATICS (EDUCATION PROJECT TOPICS AND MATERIALS)
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Mathematics has an age-old relationship with physics, chemistry and other natural science. In other words, mathematics serves in many of the branches of sciences. Mathematics is the bedrock of all science and technologically based subjects. Hogan and Koko (2000) quotes Herbert (1990) who viewed mathematics as the Queen and Servant of the sciences. He backed up his view with practical examples for instance, Herbert (1990) opined that measurement and other mathematical device are vital in the work of physicist.
Daniel (1995) from his lecture notes the study of mathematics and the sciences, particularly astronomy and physics often begins with the Ancient Greeks. There were other civilizations which predate or coexisted around the Eastern Mediterranean that had certain knowledge of these subjects, but in a short review of events such as this page, only some of the most significant people and events are mentioned. The most famous of all the Greek Philosophers Socrates, Plato and Aristotle are often quoted or paraphrased, because it is these three that are seen or having a most significant impact on the development of Western Civilization.
Akintade (2011) defines Mathematics as the field of study of size, numerations and the relations between them. He further views it as the tool with which man know how much, how many, how large, how fast, in what direction with what distance.
Johann, Ansie and Marietjie (2002) quote Vygotsky (186) that mathematics pedagogy based on Vygotskian theory approaches mathematics as a conceptual system rather than a collection of discrete procedures.
He noted that the possibilities of genuine education depend both on the knowledge and experience already existing with the student (level of development) as well as on the students potential to learn.
Hilbert (2004) said in the Twentieth Century the trend has been toward increasing generalization and abstraction, with the elements and operations of systems being defined so broadly that their interpretations connect such areas as algebra, geometry and topology. The key to this approach has been the use of formal axiomatic, in which notion of axiom as “self-evident truths” has been discarded. Instead the emphasis is on logical concepts as consistency and completeness. The roots of formal axiomatic lie in the discoveries of alternative systems of geometry and algebra in the 19th century, the approach was first systematically undertaken by the researcher in his work on the foundations of geometry.
Johann, Ansie and Marietjie (2002) said Mathematics is harder to pin down since it exist only in the human mind. Mathematics epitomizes the word “abstract”. But still this can’t be the complete story because many mathematical structures can be used to describe how physical Interact and the nature of the relationships among them
Physics on the other hand is the fundamental study of nature. In physics, we want to find out how stuff works.
Tuminaro (2002) carried out an investigation on the role of mathematics in physics requires an understanding of what to “use mathematics in physics “ we simply mean any time students smokes lechers from mathematics such as equations, graphs etc to help them understand the physics. Mathematics in physics is viewed as a tool to understand nature.
Miller (1997) said in mathematics, the pure motions of numbers and other structures do not need physics to exist, explains or even justify them. But the surprising thing is that often some newly disco nerd abstract formulation in mathematics turns out years later to described physical phenomenon we hadn’t known about earlier.
Agnes Anthony and Julie (2009) said that mathematics is seen as a language used to described the problems arising in must branches of science and technology.
