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Building knowledge through images in physics
Doran, Y. J.
Doran, Y. J.
Author
Abstract
This article considers the role of images in physics. Utilizing the Systemic Functional Linguistic dimension of field it shows that diagrams that present large classification and composition taxonomies as well as long sequences of activities can be overlaid upon graphs that show arrays of ordered data. Through an analysis using the concepts of semantic density and semantic gravity from Legitimation Code Theory, it is argued that this allows images to present large degrees of meaning in a single snapshot whilst also linking abstracted theory to specific instances of data. That is, the analysis shows that images play a significant role in developing technical physics knowledge through abstractions away from the empirical world. This article contributes to the growing body of research focusing on the structuring of knowledge and the non-linguistic semiotic resources used to organize it.
Keywords
field, images, knowledge-building, Legitimation Code Theory, physics, semantic density, semantic gravity, Systemic Functional Linguistics
Date
2019
Type
Journal article
Journal
Visual Communication
Book
Volume
18
Issue
2
Page Range
251-277
Article Number
ACU Department
School of Education
Faculty of Education and Arts
Faculty of Education and Arts
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Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
License
All rights reserved
File Access
Controlled