Abstract

History of mechanics can contribute to the teaching of mechanics in two major ways. It can help students to learn about the nature of science and it can provide illustrations, stories and experiments which assist the teacher in overcoming some of the misconceptions students appear to share with scientists of the past. In this chapter a brief overview of the history of mechanics is presented in which emphasis is placed on the different types of motion which have been of interest during this history. This is followed by a discussion of issues which arise from this history and are relevant to teaching. Some of the ways history of mechanics can be used to address problems which students have with mechanics are then presented followed by a brief consideration of the science education literature relating to the teaching of mechanics. To conclude recommendations are made about future directions for research and development in this area.