Section 04 — Observing the Natural World

Course: LBS 120 – Physics with Lab

Session Overview

Observation is the foundation of physics. Today, you’ll explore how attentive watching—without assumptions—can reveal motion, patterns, and questions that diagrams and equations can’t fully express. This session focuses on observing reality directly and letting your curiosity lead.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session, you will:

• Appreciate observation as a scientific method before explanation
• Recognize how preconceptions can distort perception
• Capture movement through sketch, measurement, and attentive notes
• Reflect on how slowing down your gaze alters understanding

Session Flow

1. Set Intention

Begin by slowing your breath and opening your senses. Choose a motion—swaying trees, water dripping, someone pacing—and let your eyes follow it, silently. Notice how doing nothing else opens your mind.

2. Read

• Richard Feynman — The Pleasure of Finding Things Out (transcript / essay)
  Link: https://learning.media.mit.edu/courses/mas713/readings/Finding_Things_Out.pdf

• Galileo Galilei — Two New Sciences (excerpt on falling bodies)
  Link: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37710/37710-pdf.pdf
  (search within PDF for “falling” or “mathematical language” to find relevant passage)

3. Watch

• Veritasium — Observation vs Assumption
  (Tip: search directly on YouTube; video explores how assumptions hide simple truths)

• MinutePhysics — Why Do Things Fall?
  Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1zrix6Yorw oai_citation:0‡YouTube

• PBS SpaceTime — History of Motion
  Browse the series here and select the episode on motion and mechanics: https://www.pbs.org/show/pbs-space-time/ oai_citation:1‡PBS

4. Listen

• Physics Central — Everyday Physics (Motion) Episode
  Find and listen to an episode focused on motion: https://www.physicscentral.com/podcast/ (search “motion”)

5. Observe

Find a simple motion in your world—pouring water, swinging pendulum, walking steps. Don’t explain it. Just observe. Describe it in words: the pace, rhythm, irregularities. Let your senses do the measuring.

Key Quote Box

Write one line that caught your attention or challenged your perspective:

“_____________”

Practice Blocks

Simply Motion Experiment

Drop two objects (like a pen and eraser) from the same height. Observe, record, and sketch what happens. Note any surprise—sound, bounce, timing, or alignment—and what questions emerge.

Shadow Tracking

Over two hours, mark the position of a shadow every 15 minutes. Use quick sketches. What does the shadow reveal—about light, movement, time, or your place in the world?

Reflection

Write a short response: - How did slowing down and observing change what you noticed? - What assumptions fell away when you didn’t rush to explain?

Optional Hard Problem

Observe a pendulum or swing at different lengths or speeds. Sketch or photograph different points of motion (e.g., peak, mid-swing). Reflect: What patterns emerge? Which points feel most expressive or “true”?

Notes

• This session is intentionally slow—don’t rush observation.
• If you feel tempted to explain, pause. Ask “what do I actually see?” before theorizing.
• This is practice for patient perception—foundational for all scientific and creative work.