FORENSIC PHYSICS: THE STATE OF THE ART IN PHYSICS TEACHING IN BRAZIL

Abstract

Forensic Physics is the area of Criminalistics devoted to solving crimes that involve concepts of physics, such as traffic accidents and gunfire. Due to the didactic effect that Forensic Physics can have, the objective of this paper is to present and analyze the current scenario of research in Forensic Physics in Physics teaching in Brazil, by means of scientific papers, end-of-course papers, and papers published in events. Specifically, we seek to know the State of the Art of the works published in the area and categorize them, analyzing some aspects, such as: the school level where the applications or proposals occur, Objects Knowledge of the Physics and Forensic Physics, how the proposals/applications are organized, and whether they are from the student's reality or fictitious. Some results point out that the South and Southeast regions stand out with more published works, most of them aimed at high school; moreover, the great majority of them use fictitious activities, not from the reality of the students. Finally, Forensic Physics emerges as an enriching topic to be used in the classroom because it facilitates student involvement and interaction, makes them active rather than passive, and is by essence a work of scientific investigation.