Equations in Physics
Just so you know that our education system is safe in the hands of Michael Gove I thought I would pass on a couple of examples from the latest official guidance on subject content for GCSE Combined Science. These are both from Appendix 1, entitled Equations in Physics.
Example one:
kinetic energy = 0.5 x mass x (acceleration)2
Example two:
(final velocity)2 – (initial velocity)2 = 2 x acceleration x time
Neither of these is even dimensionally correct!
Such sloppiness from the Department of Education is really unforgivable. Has anyone else spotted any similar howlers elsewhere in the document? If so please let me know via the comments box…
UPDATE: Monday 14th April. Apparently these errors in the document have now been corrected, but still…
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In the Dark 
April 10, 2014 at 12:56 pm
I thought “gravity force = mass x gravity constant (g)” sounded weird.
April 10, 2014 at 1:33 pm
Department of what?
April 10, 2014 at 2:01 pm
Presumably the name is intended to be interpreted in a kind of Orwellian sense…
April 10, 2014 at 2:13 pm
Who wrote this crap?
April 13, 2014 at 11:20 am
Scary stuff, just because it proves that scientific illiteracy is widespread an acceptable….
April 13, 2014 at 12:46 pm
Good grief.
What also concerns me greatly is that my emotional response to this appalling state of affairs is more one of resignation than anger. It seems to imply that I’ve accepted that there is no chance whatsoever of being able to get anyone with responsibility for this shocking nonsense to care one jot.
April 14, 2014 at 8:42 pm
I doubt this is Gove’s fault – the person writing the document had perhaps been selected for reasons other than scientific competence in the past – probably under a previous administration.
You should rather rail at the drop in international standards of school science (and everthing else) in the UK over many years.
One thing about Gove – he wants more rigour in education, so your evidence here is really supporting him, things need to improve.
April 14, 2014 at 9:04 pm
I agree that Gove himself won’t have written this but he is the Minister so is, by definition, responsible for its production.
April 14, 2014 at 10:57 pm
That’s being a bit unfair, he’s not in control of minutiae. I don’t like this government, and I will never vote for any of them after the fee imposition (now supported by Labour btw), but when Gove talks about introducing higher standards, he has a point. Just a shame that the whole ideology and practical implications surrounding his statements make one despair.
April 15, 2014 at 7:41 am
The Minister is responsible for what happens in his Department. At the very least he should find out who made these awful blunders and take appropriate disciplinary action.
April 15, 2014 at 9:55 am
I agree with both of you!
September 11, 2015 at 12:06 am
ke = 1/2 m.v**2
f = m.a
v = u + a.t
s = u.t + 1/2 a.t**2
v**2= u**2 + 2 .a.s
Written from memory at midnight. I think I should get a life.