The Exploration Of The Modernization Of Theoretical Mechanics' Teaching

As the first theoretical physics course, theoretical mechanics should give students preliminary training of thought and study methods. But, there are many drawbacks in today's theoretical mechanics' course and teaching. Both contents of traditional theoretical mechanics textbook and its' teaching measures are obsolete and outdated. So, theoretical mechanics couldn't play its role fully in cultivating students' abilities of learning and creating, and promoting students' scientific quality. As a result, the reform of theoretical mechanics is imminent.Firstly, the paper analyzes drawbacks in today's theoretical mechanics' course and teaching, and study experiences of teaching reform of theoretical mechanics. Meanwhile, the essential contents of constructivism, as the theoretical foundation of our reform of theoretical mechanics' course and teaching, are discussed. Then, on the basis of reform experiences of China's colleges and universities, and according to requirements of our society and features of classical mechanics' self-development, some suggestions are advanced: 1,Modernization of contents of theoretical mechanics should be focused. And the basic conceptions and studying measures of nonlinear mechanics should be introduced into the theoretical mechanics' course and teaching.2,Modernization of measures of theoretical mechanics teaching should be focused, and techniques of computer should be introduced into the theoretical mechanics' course and teaching. Using MATLAB software as a study tool, studentscan master the basic conceptions and contents of nonlinear mechanics by their own exploration and study, and they also can improve their abilities in studying theoretical mechanics.Finally, the paper gives two examples about the movements of nonlinear pendulum and the movements of rigid body about instant center to introduce some basic conceptions of nonlinear mechanics, and to cultivate students' ability of studying nonlinear questions of theoretical mechanics by computing and analogue functions of computer.