Boring day today, writing text to distinguish non-merger tidal interactions of galaxies from the kind of strong tidal interactions that occur during major mergers.
More interesting was the NYU Physics Colloquium by Wieman (Colorado) on teaching undergraduate physics. He showed the main research results (use peer interactions, focus on concepts and beliefs, discuss the organizational structure, connect to the real world, force the students to interact and participate) that I already know, but also one I didn't: In some cases (building circuits was his example), students learn to build real circuits in the lab more quickly if they learn from a simulation than if they learn from building real circuits! This only works where the simulation is carefully constructed to be realistic but also free of irrelevant distractions (apparently students new to physics often spend time worrying about things like the color of the insulation on the wires).
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