E = mc2 on YouTube: an analysis based on the theory of semi-formation

Authors

  • Joyce Luzia Chaves Dutra
  • Wellington Pereira de Queirós
  • Clair de Luma Capiberibe Nunes

Keywords:

Critical theory, Semiformation (Halbbildung), Science teaching, Special theory of relativity, Mass-energy relation

Abstract

In front of the enormous access to information that we experience in the digital age, many people seek information and study through the internet. "E = mc2" is the most famous equation in physics, but it is still poorly understood by a large part of the public. Some people turn to the video platform YouTube, one of the main sites on the internet, to clear up doubts about the equation and its history. The objective of this work is to analyze eleven Brazilian videos available on the YouTube platform about the mass-energy relationship. For this analysis we are based on the concept of Semiformation, or Semiculture (Halbbildung), defined by Theodor W. Adorno. With the analysis it was possible to verify that most of the videos contribute to the process of semi-formation of the subjects, as they present mistaken and poorly developed concepts about the mass-energy relation.

Published

2022-12-21

Issue

Section

Trabajos presentados a SIEF

How to Cite

E = mc2 on YouTube: an analysis based on the theory of semi-formation. (2022). Journal of Physics Teaching, 34, 101-109. https://revistas.psi.unc.edu.ar/index.php/revistaEF/article/view/39803