Students Do Not Think Physics Is “Relevant.” What Can We Do About It?

The “noncalculus” introductory physics courses in our large universities are populated almost exclusively by captives, i.e., students who are satisfying a requirement. In the students' view, the courses do not justify themselves on their own merits. With the increasing self-determination students are exercising in curriculum matters, the captive audience is due to decrease. This may be averted by reform of the courses, long overdue. The reasons the courses do not seem relevant or worthwhile to the students are examined, and a number of remedies are proposed. Particular evils pointed out are the types of problems and tests given, which generally defeat any effort to direct attention to the more interesting and relevant aspects of the course. An appeal is made for a stockpile of imaginative problems and tests, as a first step toward reform.