Cinema, Fermi Problems, & General Education

Abstract

During the past several years the authors have developed a new approach to the teaching of Physical Science, a general education course typically found in the curricula of nearly every college and university. This approach, called `Physics in Films', uses scenes from popular movies to illustrate physical principles and has excited student interest and improved student performance. The analyses of many of the scenes in `Physics in Films' are a direct application of Fermi calculations -- estimates and approximations designed to make solutions of complex and seemingly intractable problems understandable to the student non-specialist. The intent of this paper is to provide instructors with examples they can use to develop skill in recognizing Fermi problems and making Fermi calculations in their own courses.