A critique on Zhe Wei et al. and their Work.

(4/08/2008 09:29:00 PM)

First Series April, 2008 Vol.1, Post No. 14


THE

08S6H REVIEW


------------------------------------------------

A CRITIQUE ON ZHE WEI ET AL. AND THEIR WORK

BY LIM KIA YEE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

  1. Abstract
  2. Foreword
  3. Background and Overview
  4. Reaction
  5. Personal Critique
  6. Solutions
  7. Conclusion


SECTION 1: ABSTRACT


The primary purpose of this paper is to attempt to provide a balanced opinion of Zhe Wei et al's presentation from the perspective of the typical layman. No personal attack was intended in the publication of this paper, and the author deeply regrets any potential offensive material and has thus tried to keep a balanced view.

In this paper, the author gives a short account of the implications of Zhe Wei et al.'s presenting their recent work and proceeds to document the reactions faced by the ordinary people whom cannot afford to "go to Physics Olympiad and study all of this". The author then proceeds to give personal insight and his own take on this issue and possible solutions. It can be seen that much critical, creative and caring thinking is sorely deficient in Zhe Wei et al.'s recent work and much needs to be worked upon.



SECTION 2: FOREWORD

The following account of Zhe Wei et al.'s presentation is based on first hand eyewitness accounts, including those from the author. Notably, the veracity of these reports might be doubted, and tensions will most definitely subside after time as the memories of this incident fades from memory. Thus any opinion that might be distasteful or offensive is not likely to be said by the same people in a rational and calm state. That said, this report is best described as summarizing the emotions and thoughts felt by the 08S6H audience during the presentation of Zhe Wei et al.'s recent work.


SECTION 3: BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW



Before Zhe Wei et al. presented their work, they directed several questions at the author and his group. The author would like to clarify at this point that he is not biased against Zher Wei et al. , as the questions were easily handled despite their difficulty. Examples include "How does the time independent equation arise from this version of the Schrödinger Equation?" and "Is Schrödinger's Cat related to this powerpoint?"

Nonetheless, the questions would later prove to be a sign of things to come.

The presentation started off with an interesting video. However, other than portraying Erwin Schrödinger as a rather vulgar and jealous man ready to insult others, it rapidly degenerated into a slideshow of various equations without explanation and elaboration. This would be a hallmark of the later presentation.


Figure 1: A photo of one of the slides presented


Not only was the presentation long and drawn out, it failed to capture the audience's attention and even served to incite the ire of the audience. Lasting at least 40 minutes, the presentation was so long that a 08S6H classmate commented that:

"When I went to sleep, the screen was filled with equations. When I woke up like
30 minutes later , the screen was still covered with equations."

-Lam Keat Ying


Furthermore, the presenters adopted an arrogant and high handed tone and language (Both verbally and body language). Throughout the presentation, the presenters constantly presumed that the audience would understand and follow whatever was being said, with terms such as:


"Being Physics Olympiad students, I'm sure you would know that......"

"As what the Physics Olympiad teacher said.........."

"This is so simple for Physics Olympiad students"

"You will have to learn this later next year anyway, so treat this as a primer" (Ignoring the fact that typical lecture sessions come with NOTES and COMPREHENSIVE and UNDERSTANDABLE powerpoints.)

"Easy Right?"


In fact, the term "Physics Olympiad" was used so frequently that a student remarked:


"At the rate they are going, we might have to suspect that they are receiving a
commission for promoting Physics Olympiads"

-Chua Xin Rong


The situation was compounded by the fact that the presenters seemed to be constantly smiling/smirking (This might be subjective). Overall, a general feeling expressed by all eyewitnesses questioned was that Zhe Wei et al. seemed to take on a condescending tone for boasting/bragging of their extent of knowledge. The author leaves open to the reader to decie whether this was indeed the case.


*Due to coding errors due to excessive length, the following text is continued below *
by Indeterminate