Aesthetics and symmetry in Newton’s laws: an analysis of some textbooks used in physics initial teacher training

Abstract

Taking into account a conception of education aimed at promoting the human being, this work highlights the search for the aesthetic and symmetrical bases of the phenomena in Newton's laws and how or if these bases are presents in some textbooks of physics used in courses of graduation in the area, aiming to propose a reflection on its possible implications for the teaching of Newton's laws. These bases, of epistemological nature, are related to isotropy and homogeneity of space and irreversibility of time, essential to comprehend three fundamental principles of physics: conservation of linear and rotational momentum and energy, which are involved in Newton’s laws. Thus, we performed a historiographical research on the concepts of aesthetics and symmetry, aiming to identify the aesthetic assumptions used in the foundation of these laws. These results were used in a second stage of the research in the proposition of instruments of analysis on such contents in textbooks. Next, five books used in the physics teachers training were analyzed. From the highlight of this work, we aim to reveal that the books do not discuss the subject, presenting a naturalized, linear and encyclopedic version of physics concepts, quite different from what the authors who discuss aesthetics and symmetry propose.

Keywords

• estética
• simetria
• leis de newton
• livros didáticos
• formação inicial de professores