Spoon Experiment

Your text says "The pursuit of knowledge could take on a playful quality, and play can be a key ingredient in the development of scientific understanding." The models (theories) of physics as we know them today are fixed and well-tested. In their early development, however, physical theories had a more whimsical quality, often with a mythical component (we'll see a little whimsy in quantum mechanics in the next session!) Early thermodynamics is a good example -- it was thought that an actual material substance flowed from a warm body to a cold body, to equalize temperature. For this exercise, take an ordinary spoon, preferably one with a glossy surface. Look at your reflection on one side, then the other. What do you notice? How do you account for what you notice? NOTE: if you are well-versed in geometric ray optics, try not to think of that. Don't try to remember your high school physics, and don't look up "the answer" -- rather have fun and see what you come up with. A poem, perhaps?