Interdisciplinary Integration In Developing Physics Thinking: The Interplay Of Mathematics, Technology, And Art

Abstract

This article examines how interdisciplinary integration across mathematics, technology, and art cultivates physics thinking in secondary and early tertiary education. Drawing on modeling theory, multiple-representation learning, and STEAM frameworks, the paper articulates a design for instruction where mathematical formalism, technological tools, and artistic practices jointly scaffold learners’ movement from phenomenological description to mechanistic and predictive reasoning. A design-based synthesis method was applied: we reviewed canonical and contemporary literature and constructed an instructional model piloted hypothetically in a semester sequence that pairs inquiry labs with representational studios. The analysis suggests that mathematics contributes structures for modeling and proof-like argumentation, technology supplies rapid feedback loops through data capture and computation, and art refines representational fluency, perceptual sensitivity, and aesthetic criteria for model adequacy. When orchestrated together, these domains reduce cognitive load, accelerate the transition from qualitative to quantitative reasoning, and strengthen transfer from classroom problems to authentic contexts. The discussion proposes evaluative indicators for physics thinking, including representational translation, model revision discipline, and principled use of approximations. Implications include sequencing that begins from sensory-rich experiences, advances through mathematically constrained modeling, and culminates in expressive artifacts that communicate mechanism and uncertainty to varied audiences.