ERIC Number: EJ1074889
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015-Sep
Pages: 5
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0031-921X
EISSN: N/A
Use of Bratwurst Sausage as a Model Cadaver in Introductory Physics for the Life Sciences Lab Experiments
Sidebottom, David
Physics Teacher, v53 n6 p367-371 Sep 2015
The general physics course that is taught in most departments as a service course for pre-med or pre-health students is undergoing a large shift in course content to better appeal to this group of learners. This revision also extends to the laboratory component, where more emphasis is being placed on teaching physics through biological examples. Here, two undergraduate-level lab experiments, one dealing with buoyancy and the other with heat transfer, are described. The two labs were designed specifically to appeal to pre-med students taking introductory physics, and their novelty arises from the use of a bratwurst sausage as a miniature model cadaver. Results suggest that the sausage provides a suitable approximation to the mass density and thermal properties of the human body.
Descriptors: Laboratory Experiments, Introductory Courses, Physics, Biological Sciences, Undergraduate Students, Medical Education, Human Body, Thermodynamics, Science Materials, Body Composition, Demonstrations (Educational)
American Association of Physics Teachers. One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740. Tel: 301-209-3300; Fax: 301-209-0845; e-mail: pubs@aapt.org; Web site: http://scitation.aip.org/tpt
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A