Houston, We Have a Problem: Effects of Technical Frustration on Student Learning in Physics Laboratories

This study investigates the effect of laboratory work’s typical technical difficulties on student learning in the physical science classroom. Certainly the educational strategies of text and lecture are sorely lacking. But do laboratories in physical science frustrate students more than they teach them? To investigate this question, the study involved differentiating instruction for three classes of freshmen, sophomore, junior, and senior students enrolled in an introductory physical science course at a local high school. Two classes participated in a physical DC circuits laboratory, while a third class instead participated in a simulation counterpart - that is, an electronic experimental setup that by design cannot have technical difficulties like poor wire connections or faulty bulbs. Results show that the simulation laboratory had a more significant impact on students’ post test responses, though not always for the better. These results are enlightened by observations of student interaction with each laboratory activity

Free massive fermions inside the quantum discrete sine-Gordon model

We extend the notion of space shifts introduced by L. D. Faddeev and A. Yu. Volkov (Phys. Lett. B 315 (1993)) for certain quantum light cone lattice equations of sine-Gordon type at root of unity. As a result we obtain a compatibility equation for the roots of central elements within the algebra of observables (also called current algebra). The equation which is obtained by exponentiating these roots is exactly the evolution equation for the "classical background" as described in V. Bazhanov, A. Bobenko, N. Reshetikhin (Comm. Math. Phys. 175 (1996)). As an application for the introduced constructions, a one to one correspondence between a special case of the quantum light cone lattice equations of sine-Gordon type and free massive fermions on a lattice as constructed in Destri and de Vega (Nucl. Phys. B 290 (1987)) is derived.Comment: LaTex, 18 pages, 6 figure

A Class of Logistic Functions for Approximating State-Inclusive Koopman Operators

An outstanding challenge in nonlinear systems theory is identification or learning of a given nonlinear system's Koopman operator directly from data or models. Advances in extended dynamic mode decomposition approaches and machine learning methods have enabled data-driven discovery of Koopman operators, for both continuous and discrete-time systems. Since Koopman operators are often infinite-dimensional, they are approximated in practice using finite-dimensional systems. The fidelity and convergence of a given finite-dimensional Koopman approximation is a subject of ongoing research. In this paper we introduce a class of Koopman observable functions that confer an approximate closure property on their corresponding finite-dimensional approximations of the Koopman operator. We derive error bounds for the fidelity of this class of observable functions, as well as identify two key learning parameters which can be used to tune performance. We illustrate our approach on two classical nonlinear system models: the Van Der Pol oscillator and the bistable toggle switch.Comment: 8 page

I Want to be a Scientist: Secondary Students’ Perceptions of Science as a Career

Much thought and effort on the part of high school science teachers is put into educating and engaging American youth in science with the hope that our country will have a bright future in science disciplines. But do high school students consider careers in science viable occupational options, or are the subjects of chemistry and physics simply course credits they are expected to complete? This study seeks to answer that question by investigating high school students\u27 perceptions of careers in science as they consider their own future career paths. Data collection consists of a survey distributed to sophomore, junior, and senior students currently enrolled in a secondary-level science course at a local high school. The survey questions probe student perception of the nature of professional work in science, applications of scientific work, and the role of the scientist in society. A more full and accurate understanding of these things may lead to an increase in talented students, who have benefited from an excellent education in science subjects, actually becoming interested in pursuing careers in science. Having talented scientists in the field provides more opportunity for the bright future of science, which is one of the main goals of science education

Houston, We have a Problem: Effects of Technical Frustration on Student Learning in Laboratories

This study investigates the effect of the signature technical difficulties of laboratory work on student learning in the physical science classroom. Certainly the educational strategies of text and lecture are sorely lacking. But do laboratories in physical science frustrate students more than they teach them? If so, why? To investigate this phenomenon, the study involved differentiating instruction for three classes of freshmen, sophomore, junior, and senior students enrolled in an introductory physical science course at a local high school. Two classes participated in a physical laboratory on DC circuits, while a third class instead participated in a simulation counterpart – that is, an electronic experimental setup that by design cannot have inherent technical difficulties. Results show that the simulation laboratory had a more significant impact on students’ post-test responses, though not always for the better. These results are enlightened by observations of student interaction with each laboratory activity