2,479 research outputs found
Transforming a 4th year Modern Optics Course Using a Deliberate Practice Framework
We present a study of active learning pedagogies in an upper division physics
course. This work was guided by the principle of deliberate practice for the
development of expertise, and this principle was used in the design of the
materials and the orchestration of the classroom activities of the students. We
present our process for efficiently converting a traditional lecture course
based on instructor notes into activities for such a course with active
learning methods. Ninety percent of the same material was covered and scores on
common exam problems showed a 15 % improvement with an effect size greater than
1 after the transformation. We observe that the improvement and the associated
effect size is sustained after handing off the materials to a second
instructor. Because the improvement on exam questions was independent of
specific problem topics and because the material tested was so mathematically
advanced and broad (including linear algebra, Fourier Transforms, partial
differential equations, vector calculus), we expect the transformation process
could be applied to most upper division physics courses having a similar
mathematical base.Comment: 31 page
Bound states of PT-symmetric separable potentials
All of the PT-symmetric potentials that have been studied so far have been
local. In this paper nonlocal PT-symmetric separable potentials of the form
, where is real, are examined.
Two specific models are examined. In each case it is shown that there is a
parametric region of the coupling strength for which the PT symmetry
of the Hamiltonian is unbroken and the bound-state energies are real. The
critical values of that bound this region are calculated.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure
Characterization of Mauritius parakeet (Psittacula eques) microsatellite loci and their cross-utility in other parrots (Psittacidae, Aves).
We characterized 21 polymorphic microsatellite loci in the endangered Mauritius parakeet (Psittacula eques). Loci were isolated from a Mauritius parakeet genomic library that had been enriched separately for eight different repeat motifs. Loci were characterized in up to 43 putatively unrelated Mauritius parakeets from a single population inhabiting the Black River Gorges National Park, Mauritius. Each locus displayed between three and nine alleles, with the observed heterozygosity ranging between 0.39 and 0.96. All loci were tested in 10 other parrot species. Despite testing few individuals, between seven and 21 loci were polymorphic in each of seven species tested
A robotic welding system using image processing techniques and a CAD model to provide information to a multi-intelligent decision module
Scalar Quantum Field Theory with Cubic Interaction
In this paper it is shown that an i phi^3 field theory is a physically
acceptable field theory model (the spectrum is positive and the theory is
unitary). The demonstration rests on the perturbative construction of a linear
operator C, which is needed to define the Hilbert space inner product. The C
operator is a new, time-independent observable in PT-symmetric quantum field
theory.Comment: Corrected expressions in equations (20) and (21
Outnumb3r3d : intrinsically motivating mathematics for the PlayStation 4
This paper and accompanying poster describes the design of an intrinsically integrated educational game to improve children’s competencies in mental mathematics. A number of researchers have suggested that educational games are more effective when they are closely integrated with their learning content. Specifically work by the lead author has showed that a closer integration between an educational game's core-mechanics and its learning content can be both more appealing (in terms of time spent on-task) and more educationally effective (in terms of learning outcomes) than a less integrated "edutainment" approach. However, cursory approaches to integrating learning content remain common in contemporary educational software, and the literature lacks an exemplar of what can be achieved using an integrated approach. The Outnumb3r3d game was conceived to provide a commercial and theoretical exemplar of intrinsic integration for the Nintendo Wii, but was never completed. This project is now porting the original Wii prototype onto the PlayStation 4 in order to revive Outnumb3r3d as a research project.
This paper details the design of Outnumb3r3d with reference to the key theoretical constructs that underlie its pedagogical design. In doing so it provides an example of a game design created to integrate mathematical learning content seamlessly into the game's core mechanics, ensuring that the mathematics is what makes the game intrinsically motivating to play rather than trying to hide or "sugar coat" its learning content. At the time of writing the game’s implementation is still a “work in progress”, but is expected to be the subject of future empirical evaluations into its effectiveness as a teaching tool
Detection of an endangered mammalian species using environmental DNA analysis
Poster presented at The Mammal Society 63rd Spring Conference & AGM, 31st March-2nd April, 2017, Cambridge, UK
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