3,746 research outputs found
Addressing student models of energy loss in quantum tunnelling
We report on a multi-year, multi-institution study to investigate student
reasoning about energy in the context of quantum tunnelling. We use ungraded
surveys, graded examination questions, individual clinical interviews, and
multiple-choice exams to build a picture of the types of responses that
students typically give. We find that two descriptions of tunnelling through a
square barrier are particularly common. Students often state that tunnelling
particles lose energy while tunnelling. When sketching wave functions, students
also show a shift in the axis of oscillation, as if the height of the axis of
oscillation indicated the energy of the particle. We find inconsistencies
between students' conceptual, mathematical, and graphical models of quantum
tunnelling. As part of a curriculum in quantum physics, we have developed
instructional materials to help students develop a more robust and less
inconsistent picture of tunnelling, and present data suggesting that we have
succeeded in doing so.Comment: Originally submitted to the European Journal of Physics on 2005 Feb
10. Pages: 14. References: 11. Figures: 9. Tables: 1. Resubmitted May 18 with
revisions that include an appendix with the curriculum materials discussed in
the paper (4 page small group UW-style tutorial
Elements of Proximal Formative Assessment in Learners’ Discourse about Energy
Proximal formative assessment, the just-in-time elicitation of students\u27 ideas that informs ongoing instruction, is usually associated with the instructor in a formal classroom setting. However, the elicitation, assessment, and subsequent instruction that characterize proximal formative assessment are also seen in discourse among peers. We present a case in which secondary teachers in a professional development course at SPU are discussing energy flow in refrigerators. In this episode, a peer is invited to share her thinking (elicitation). Her idea that refrigerators move heat from a relatively cold compartment to a hotter environment is inappropriately judged as incorrect (assessment). The instruction (peer explanation) that follows is based on the second law of thermodynamics, and acts as corrective rather than collaborative
Using resource graphs to represent conceptual change
We introduce resource graphs, a representation of linked ideas used when
reasoning about specific contexts in physics. Our model is consistent with
previous descriptions of resources and coordination classes. It can represent
mesoscopic scales that are neither knowledge-in-pieces or large-scale concepts.
We use resource graphs to describe several forms of conceptual change:
incremental, cascade, wholesale, and dual construction. For each, we give
evidence from the physics education research literature to show examples of
each form of conceptual change. Where possible, we compare our representation
to models used by other researchers. Building on our representation, we
introduce a new form of conceptual change, differentiation, and suggest several
experimental studies that would help understand the differences between
reform-based curricula.Comment: 27 pages, 14 figures, no tables. Submitted for publication to the
Physical Review Special Topics Physics Education Research on March 8, 200
Graduate Quantum Mechanics Reform
We address four main areas in which graduate quantum mechanics education can
be improved: course content, textbook, teaching methods, and assessment tools.
We report on a three year longitudinal study at the Colorado School of Mines
using innovations in all these areas. In particular, we have modified the
content of the course to reflect progress in the field in the last 50 years,
used textbooks that include such content, incorporated a variety of teaching
techniques based on physics education research, and used a variety of
assessment tools to study the effectiveness of these reforms. We present a new
assessment tool, the Graduate Quantum Mechanics Conceptual Survey, and further
testing of a previously developed assessment tool, the Quantum Mechanics
Conceptual Survey. We find that graduate students respond well to
research-based techniques that have been tested mainly in introductory courses,
and that they learn much of the new content introduced in each version of the
course. We also find that students' ability to answer conceptual questions
about graduate quantum mechanics is highly correlated with their ability to
solve calculational problems on the same topics. In contrast, we find that
students' understanding of basic undergraduate quantum mechanics concepts at
the modern physics level is not improved by instruction at the graduate level.Comment: accepted to American Journal of Physic
Casimir forces between arbitrary compact objects
We develop an exact method for computing the Casimir energy between arbitrary
compact objects, either dielectrics or perfect conductors. The energy is
obtained as an interaction between multipoles, generated by quantum current
fluctuations. The objects' shape and composition enter only through their
scattering matrices. The result is exact when all multipoles are included, and
converges rapidly. A low frequency expansion yields the energy as a series in
the ratio of the objects' size to their separation. As an example, we obtain
this series for two dielectric spheres and the full interaction at all
separations for perfectly conducting spheres.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur
The challenge of listening: The effect of researcher agenda on data collection
Even in the relatively favorable circumstances of an individual interview, accurate listening requires careful effort. Our research interests dictate which student statements we attend to during the interview, and which we consider to constitute data during later analysis. Explicit consideration of possible research agendas can increase opportunity for productive research
Vulnerability of the biota in riverine and seasonally flooded habitats to damming of Amazonian rivers [in press]
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