Schüler des Gymnasiums Bad Waldsee forschen am SFZ

Entsprechend begabte und - vor allem - selbständig engagierte Schüler können ihrem Forschungsdrang am Schülerforschungszentrum (SFZ) in Bad Saulgau freien Lauf lassen.

In der Regel findet, ziemlich am Anfang jedes Schuljahres, ein Einführungsveranstaltung am SFZ statt, in der die Möglichkeiten und Themen der Forschung am SFZ von den jeweiligen Projektleitern dargestellt werden. Es sind Arbeiten in allen naturwissenschaftlichen und mathematischen Bereichen möglich. Man kann eigene Projekte anbieten oder sich einer bereits existierenden Gruppe anschließen. Interessierte Schüler können sich dann gleich dort anmelden. Die Fahrten zum und der Aufenthalt im SFZ sind dann als Schulveranstaltungen versichert. Wer besonders intensiv forschen will, kann dort sogar übernachten!

Durch ein Engagement am SFZ lernt man vieles über den traditionellen Schulstoff hinaus und kann seine Persönlichkeit und seinen Charakter durch die eigenständige Arbeit vorteilhaft entwickeln. Naturwissenschaftlich und technisch lernt man natürlich ebenfalls eine Menge. Im Programm sind z.B. ein Windkanal, Messtechnik, Programmierung, Robotik, Mikroskopie oder chemische, biologische und andere Verfahrensweisen. Nach Möglichkeit wird am SFZ angestrebt, die Forschung auf einem Niveau zu betrieben, das eine Teilnahme an Wettbewerben wie Jugend forscht oder anderen, teils internationalen Wettbewerben ermöglicht.

Interessierte Schüler des Gymnasiums können sich jederzeit bei Herrn Dr. H. Marxer informieren und beraten lassen und die Einführungsveranstaltung gemeinsam besuchen.

Bisherige Forscher am SFZ sind:

• Thomas Vallentin (am SFZ seit dem Schuljahr 2007/08 (Stufe 12))
  Thomas untersucht mit seinem Team die Wirkung von Wind auf zylindrische Bauwerke im modernen SFZ-eigenen Windkanal mit Industriemesstechnik! Das Team versucht die Windlast auf derartige Bauwerke zu reduzieren und so die Stabilität und Sicherheit zu erhöhen. Mit diesem Projekt nimmt das Team am Wettbewerb Jugend forscht teil. Dieses Thema wird übrigens ausser am SFZ in fast keiner anderen Institution in Deutschland beforscht!
• Fabian Fuchs (am SFZ seit dem Schuljahr 2007/08 (Stufe 12))
  Er arbeitet an der Entwicklung einer optomechanischen Sensorik, mit der lokal elektromagnetische Felder vermessen werden können. Einen ersten tollen Erfolg hat er mit seinem Team mit dem zweiten Platz in Physik beim Regionalwettbewerb Jugend forscht in Ulm  erreicht und es damit sogar in die lokale Presse geschafft:
  Junge Physiker erreichen Platz zwei
   

• Valentin Wolz (am SFZ seit dem Schuljahr 2007/08 (Klasse 8))

How do animals, objects and images move? What is motion?

How do colours appear? How do muscles work? What is the maximum force found in nature? What do love, fireworks and butterflies have in common? Is levitation possible? What does 'quantum' mean? Is time travel possible? Is the universe a set? Which problems in physics are still open?

This free textbook presents the science of motion: physics. The book is written for curious men, women, boys and girls: it is entertaining, surprising and challenging on every page. With little mathematics, starting from observations of everyday life, the text presents the most fascinating aspects of things that move. It explores mechanics, thermodynamics, special and general relativity, electrodynamics, quantum theory and modern attempts at unification. The essence of these fields is summarized in the most simple terms possible. For example, the text presents modern physics as consequence of the notions of minimum entropy, maximum speed, maximum force, minimum change of charge and minimum action.

For each field of physics, the text presents the latest research results, the best animations, the best images, the most interesting physical puzzles and the most telling physical curiosities. It includes more than 600 animations, films and illustrations, more than 100 tables, more than 1700 challenges and puzzles, and includes over 900 internet links.

Aim of the project

Across all languages, physics is the science with the worst textbooks. This project wants to change this, by producing a simple, vivid and up-to-date introduction to modern physics. 'Simple' means that concepts are stressed more than formalism; 'vivid' means that the reader is continuously entertained, motivated and challenged; 'up-to-date' means that modern research and present ideas about unification are included. The subtitle of the text, The Adventure of Physics, sums up these three aspects.

The approach starts with an uncommon, but clear definition of physics: physics is the science of motion. The project then takes the search for a precise description of motion as a guiding principle for an exploration of modern physics. This leads to a storyline which is somewhat different from the usual one. Nature's limits to speed, entropy, force, action and charge are central to the presentation.

The text aims to explain the unification of physics - the full theory of motion - in simple language. The project will be completed as soon as the current search for a full theory of motion will have been successful and its results included in the text. Therefore the project still has some time to go.

The development of a book version for the blind has started.

Didactics

The text is written for self-study. It tells a story; it is not a commented formula collection. In its teaching approach, the project tries to satisfy several needs. First of all, the explanations are written in a way that should appeal both to people who prefer thinking in images and to those that prefer thinking in words. Furthermore, the content has been selected to attract both male and female readers. Next, the text is written to appeal to composer and to competitor characters. The text also tries to cater both for the experimentally and the theoretically inclined. Finally, the story should appeal to those who like the natural sciences and to those who like the humanities.

Self-study

In my experience as a teacher, there was one learning method that never failed to transform unsuccessful pupils into successful ones: if you read a book for study, summarize every section you read, in your own words, aloud. If you are unable to do so, read the section again. Repeat this until you can clearly summarize what you read in your own words, aloud. You can do this alone in a room, or with friends, or while walking. If you do this with everything you read, you will reduce your learning and reading time significantly.

Motto

The motto of the text, `Die Sachen klären, die Menschen stärken', translates as `To clarify things, to fortify people.' The motto has direct consequences for the presentation. Many people email to ask that certain beliefs be inserted: astrology, creation, invention of physics by the Mayas, examples of perpetuum mobiles, new energy sources, strange religious topics, cranky philosophical statements, dishonest theological theses, faster-than-light energy speeds, telepathy, "mind is stronger than matter", "there are things that cannot be measured", multiverse, many-world interpretations of quantum theory, and more. However, the motto stands for clarity: statements that are false or without content are labeled as such. Thus, such email requests will indeed lead to inclusion in the text, if the statements are entertaining enough: in the section on nonsense or in that on lies.