A STOMPer's
nephew came home crying after his GCE 'O' level
Physics exam. He answered a question according to what he studied
from the MOE approved textbook, only to find out later that it was
wrong.
How can the MOE approved textbooks, which so many students use,
carry such errors and ambiguities, questions this STOMPer.
Says this STOMPer:
"My nephew who sat for his GCE 'O' level exam came back crying and
showed me his Physics Paper 1 (5058/01) in which Q19 says: What is
the refractive index of a medium?
A the ratio of the speed of light in air to the speed of light in
the medium.
B the ratio of the speed of light in the medium to the speed of
light in air.
C the ratio of the speed of light in the medium to the speed of
light in vacuum.
D the ratio of the speed of light in vacuum to the speed of light
in the medium.
"According to the internet, which I have checked the answer is
'D'.
"My nephew who wrote the answer as 'A' later consulted his teacher
after the exam and was told that the answer is 'D'.
"According to his textbook page 231 the authors say 'It has been
proven that the refractive index is a ratio between the speed of
light in air or vacuum and the speed of light in a
medium'.
"The cover of the school textbook titled GCE 'O' Level Physics
matters by Charles Chew and Chow Siew Foong and there was a seal
with the words 'Approved by Ministry of Education for use from
2007- 2011'
"This was the textbook used in many of our secondary schools and
endorsed by the MOE.
"If the textbook has errors or ambiguities why does MOE recommend
that schools use this particular textbook?"
