328,687 research outputs found
BIOE and the Teaching of Physics: inferences from the Critical Theory of Technology
This article reads from Andrew Feenberg\u27s Critical Theory of Technology, analyzing the International Bank of Educational Objects (BIOE) in Physics teaching, investigating whether the Educational Objects (EO) available in BIOE contemplate a process of teaching and learning that is critical and reflexive and that articulates with one or more pedagogical conceptions linked to its educational objective. For this, the qualitative approach of the documentary type was used for data collection and content analysis to arrive at the results. Thus, we verify that the EO for Physics available in BIOE do not contemplate a critical and reflexive teaching and learning process articulated to one or more pedagogical conceptions linked to its educational objective; it does not broaden the problematization related to educational practices in physics towards the politicization of science and technology, in understanding the implications of an educational technology; and it is absent in the very understanding of human relations with such objects and the systems in which they operate, including the teaching and learning process
Connections between cosmic-ray physics, gamma-ray data analysis and Dark Matter detection
Cosmic-ray (CR) physics has been a prolific field of research for over a
century. The open problems related to CR acceleration, transport and modulation
are deeply connected with the indirect searches for particle dark matter (DM).
In particular, the high-quality gamma-ray data released by Fermi-LAT are under
the spotlight in the scientific community because of a recent claim about a
inner Galaxy anomaly: The necessity to disentangle the astrophysical emission
due to CR interactions from a possible DM signal is therefore compelling and
requires a deep knowledge of several non-trivial aspects regarding CR physics.
I review all these connections in this contribution. In the first part, I
present a detailed overview on recent results regarding modeling of cosmic-ray
(CR) production and propagation: I focus on the necessity to go beyond the
standard and simplified picture of uniform and homogeneous diffusion, showing
that gamma-ray data point towards different transport regimes in different
regions of the Galaxy; I sketch the impact of large-scale structure on CR
observables, and -- concerning the interaction with the Heliosphere -- I
mention the necessity to consider a charge-dependent modulation scenario. In
the second part, all these aspects are linked to the DM problem. I analyze the
claim of a inner Galaxy excess and discuss the impact of the non-trivial
aspects presented in the first part on our understanding of this anomaly.Comment: 16 pages, 8 figures. Proceeding of the ICRC 201
Exploring the Neural Mechanisms of Physics Learning
This dissertation presents a series of neuroimaging investigations and achievements that strive to deepen and broaden our understanding of human problem solving and physics learning. Neuroscience conceives of dynamic relationships between behavior, experience, and brain structure and function, but how neural changes enable human learning across classroom instruction remains an open question. At the same time, physics is a challenging area of study in which introductory students regularly struggle to achieve success across university instruction. Research and initiatives in neuroeducation promise a new understanding into the interactions between biology and education, including the neural mechanisms of learning and development. These insights may be particularly useful in understanding how students learn, which is crucial for helping them succeed. Towards this end, we utilize methods in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), as informed by education theory, research, and practice, to investigate the neural mechanisms of problem solving and learning in students across semester-long University-level introductory physics learning environments. In the first study, we review and synthesize the neuroimaging problem solving literature and perform quantitative coordinate-based meta-analysis on 280 problem solving experiments to characterize the common and dissociable brain networks that underlie human problem solving across different representational contexts. Then, we describe the Understanding the Neural Mechanisms of Physics Learning project, which was designed to study functional brain changes associated with learning and problem solving in undergraduate physics students before and after a semester of introductory physics instruction. We present the development, facilitation, and data acquisition for this longitudinal data collection project. We then perform a sequence of fMRI analyses of these data and characterize the first-time observations of brain networks underlying physics problem solving in students after university physics instruction. We measure sustained and sequential brain activity and functional connectivity during physics problem solving, test brain-behavior relationships between accuracy, difficulty, strategy, and conceptualization of physics ideas, and describe differences in student physics-related brain function linked with dissociations in conceptual approach. The implications of these results to inform effective instructional practices are discussed. Then, we consider how classroom learning impacts the development of student brain function by examining changes in physics problem solving-related brain activity in students before and after they completed a semester-long Modeling Instruction physics course. Our results provide the first neurobiological evidence that physics learning environments drive
the functional reorganization of large-scale brain networks in physics students. Through this collection of work, we demonstrate how neuroscience studies of learning can be grounded in educational theory and pedagogy, and provide deep insights into the neural mechanisms by which students learn physics
The key ingredients of the electronic structure of FeSe
FeSe is a fascinating superconducting material at the frontier of research in
condensed matter physics. Here we provide an overview on the current
understanding of the electronic structure of FeSe, focusing in particular on
its low energy electronic structure as determined from angular resolved
photoemission spectroscopy, quantum oscillations and magnetotransport
measurements of single crystal samples. We discuss the unique place of FeSe
amongst iron-based superconductors, being a multi-band system exhibiting strong
orbitally-dependent electronic correlations and unusually small Fermi surfaces,
prone to different electronic instabilities. We pay particular attention to the
evolution of the electronic structure which accompanies the
tetragonal-orthorhombic structural distortion of the lattice around 90 K, which
stabilizes a unique nematic electronic state. Finally, we discuss how the
multi-band multi-orbital nematic electronic structure has an impact on the
understanding of the superconductivity, and show that the tunability of the
nematic state with chemical and physical pressure will help to disentangle the
role of different competing interactions relevant for enhancing
superconductivity.Comment: 21 pages, 11 figures, to appear in Annual Review of Condensed Matter
Physic
Leveraging a Relationship with Biology to Expand a Relationship with Physics
This work examines how experiences in one disciplinary domain (biology) can
impact the relationship a student builds with another domain (physics). We
present a model for disciplinary relationships using the constructs of
identity, affect, and epistemology. With these constructs we examine an
ethnographic case study of a student who experienced a significant shift in her
relationship with physics. We describe how this shift demonstrates (1) a
stronger identification with physics, (2) a more mixed affective stance towards
physics, and (3) more expert-like ways of knowing in physics. We argue that
recruiting the students relationship with biology into experiences of learning
physics impacted her relationship with physics as well as her sense of how
physics and biology are linked
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