This week’s seminar reading is Stanley’s Why should physicists study history? (paper copies were handed out at the Week 5 All-Program Check-in; if you didn’t get one then, please ask faculty or print out your own).

Below are some writing prompts that we hope will help you engage with the text and prepare for Wednesday’s Seminar.

• Please type up responses to questions 1-5 below (short responses are fine, but take the space you need).
• Bring a printed copy of your responses to Seminar. You will use it for the class discussion. At the end of the discussion, you will submit it for faculty review: faculty will look for evidence of completion and engagement.
• Make sure your name is at the top of your printed copy.

1. Stanley asks the question “Why should physicists study history?” and then provides some answers. What are Stanley’s reasons why physicists should study history? Please do a bit more than just writing down the section headings, though those sections headings might be useful in summarizing the author’s reasons.

2. Which reason(s) did you find most compelling? Why?

3. Choose one of the following:
   (3a) Which reason(s) did you find least compelling? What (if anything) could Stanley have added to strengthen those sections?
   (3b) What reason was not presented that you found surprising, or that you would have included in your own list of reasons?

4. Choose one of the following:
   (4a) A number of historical tidbits were sprinkled throughout this article. Choose one that whetted your appetite and do just a little bit of research (cite sources, please, but not more than two) to learn more, and write about what you learned.
   (4b) What is one bit of science or math history that you think is cool and that wasn’t mentioned in the article? Briefly describe the story (cite sources, please, but not more than two) and then see how it fits into Stanley’s (and/or your own, if you did part 3b) categories.

5. For the Week 4 Seminar, we asked you to develop your own account of what it means to be an educated person in your chosen direction of study, asking you to write down your own learning goals and the capacities you need/want to develop. If an element of your previous account is aligned with the ideas in this article, can you articulate that element differently now? If this article inspires you to add an element, write down some draft language.