The goal of the PIRA Demonstration Classification Scheme is to create
a logically organized and universally inclusive taxonomy giving a unique
number to every lecture demonstration. The structure of the classification
system is as follows:
Example: 1D60.10 howitzer and tunnel
1
Area
(mechanics)
D
Topic
(motion in two dimensions)
60
Concept
(projectile motion)
.10
Demonstration
(howitzer and tunnel)
The topic and concept divisions of the structure loosely follow the standard
textbook organization of chapter and section, although they were created
to organize existing demonstrations, not cover the entirety of elementary
physics, and therefore skip some areas of the curriculum covered by standard
textbooks. The standard curriculum has changed over the years and categories
have been created to contain the many demonstrations rendered obsolete
by modern textbooks. Some single concept films, videos, and computer programs
are sometimes included but such resources have not been systematically
identified.