A brief history of recreational physics: A discipline with a glorious past and a promising future

Authors

  • Rafael Garcia-Molina University of Murcia (Spain)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7203/metode.15.27571

Keywords:

recreational physics, history of physics, popularisation of physics, science entertainment

Abstract

One way of encouraging people's interest in physics is to provide them with rewarding experiences that stimulate their curiosity and at the same time encourage them to seek an explanation for the phenomena they observe. These experiences need to be related to the everyday environment to show that basic but far-reaching physical knowledge is accessible without the need for sophisticated equipment. To this end, recreational physics seamlessly blends science, entertainment and outreach by incorporating experiments and games that appeal to people of different ages and educational backgrounds. In this article, we review the most notable documents, authors and activities in recreational physics to show how this discipline has evolved over the centuries and where it stands today.

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Author Biography

Rafael Garcia-Molina, University of Murcia (Spain)

Full Professor of Applied Physics at the University of Murcia (Spain). He studies the interaction of charged particles with matter, both theoretically and through simulation, to study how projectiles disperse their energy in different materials. He develops physics teaching and dissemination projects using all kinds of resources, some of which have been selected and awarded in different editions of «Ciencia en Acción» and «Science on Stage». In 2016, he received the Physics Teaching and Dissemination Award (University Teaching Modality) from the Spanish Royal Physics Society and the BBVA Foundation. He is a member of the Academy of Sciences of the Region of Murcia. He is currently Director of Revista Española de Física and Associate Editor of Revista Eureka sobre Enseñanza y Divulgación de las Ciencias .

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Published

2024-03-26

How to Cite

Garcia-Molina, R. (2024). A brief history of recreational physics: A discipline with a glorious past and a promising future. Metode Science Studies Journal, (15). https://doi.org/10.7203/metode.15.27571
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Issue

No. 15: Volume 15 (Online first)

Section

Science anywhere and anyhow. A journey into the fascinating world of recreational science

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