Physics Colloquium - Spring 2007 - Student understanding of relationships between physics and mathematics concepts in upper-level thermodynamics
Dept of Physics & Astronomy
University of Maine, Orono, Maine
Presents
Professor John Thompson
Assistant Professor of Physics
Dept. of Physics & Astronomy, UMaine
Student understanding of relationships between physics and mathematics concepts in upper-level thermodynamics
Members of the UMaine Physics Education Research Laboratory are currently conducting a broad investigation of student understanding of thermodynamics and statistical mechanics concepts in upper-level undergraduate thermal physics courses. As part of this work, we are exploring student functional understanding of mathematical concepts required for productive reasoning about the physics. We find evidence that students do not make connections between the physical situations or processes under study and the mathematical concepts or algorithms needed for analysis of the physics.
Comparison of student performance on physics questions requiring interpretation of P-V diagrams and analogous math questions devoid of physical context shows a distinction between conceptual physics difficulties and difficulties with application of the underlying mathematics. With partial differentiation, we find that although students are able to take partial derivatives easily, many students have difficulty understanding the mathematical and/or physical significance of their differentiation, even after instruction. Evidence from various points in the thermodynamics course indicate a strong context dependence of student responses and difficulties. Results from research are being used to develop instructional materials to address specific difficulties.
Friday, April 13, 2007
3:10 pm
140 Bennett Hall
Refreshments will follow in Rm. 114, Bennett Hall
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