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Some suggestions for the use of the history of physics in a physics course

Are we justified in teaching any physics history? To consider this question we not only have to consider the subject of physics within the context of science but also the overall picture of science as a part of our culture. On the second point, it has been argued before (Woodall 1967a, Brush 1969) that by introducing history, method and philosophy into our courses we would thereby present science as a human and cultural activity. On these humanitarian grounds the students would not only learn to appreciate how scientists tackle their problems but also they would appreciate the place of the scientist in society. Although the student himself may not become a scientist it seems important that he should know a little of other walks of life. Appreciating problems and learning how to tackle them is one of the great and probably most useful aspects of modern education. It is all very well advocating a philosophy of ‘physics for enjoyment’ providing that wrapped up in this lies some element of usefulness. Problems, whether new or old, whether theoretical or practical, are met in every physics course and learning how to look at them from various standpoints should be a process of physics education. These are no easier for students than for the scientists who first investigated them. Often it is useful to consider how the original scientist looked at his task and this usually brings to light several side issues. By adding a little history of physics at useful and