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arXiv2015

A Statistical Analysis of the Performance of First Year Engineering Students at UNSW Canberra and the Impact of the State where They Undertook Year 12 Study

UNSW Canberra at the Australian Defence Force Academy is a unique institution in Australia as it attracts its undergraduate students from all Australian states and territories more or less in accord with the distribution of the Australian population. Each course at UNSW Canberra is then made up of a cohort of students who have undertaken secondary education in the different states and territories but who, at university, are undertaking the same course with the same assessment as one another. This allows some comparison to be made as to how the various state and territory secondary education systems have prepared them for their tertiary study at UNSW Canberra. In this paper we conduct a preliminary analysis of the performance of UNSW Canberra engineering students in the first year, first semester courses Engineering Mathematics 1A and Engineering Physics 1A. The results obtained thus far demonstrate that while there is little difference in performance between students from most states and territories, performance of students from one state is well below that of the others.

physics.ed-ph↗

arXiv2015

Computation across the curriculum: What skills are needed?

Computation, the use of a computer to solve, simulate, or visualize a physical problem, has revolutionized how physics research is done. Computation is used widely to model systems, to simulate experiments, and to analyze data. Yet, in most undergraduate programs, students have little formal opportunity to engage with computation and, thus, are left to their own to develop their computational expertise. As part of a larger project to study how computation is incorporated in some undergraduate physics programs (and how it might be incorporated further), we convened a mini-conference and conducted a series of interviews with industry professionals, academic faculty, and employed bachelor's graduates who make use of computation in their everyday work. We present preliminary results that speak to how participants developed the requisite skills to do professional computational work and what skills they perceive are necessary to conduct such work.

physics.ed-ph↗

arXiv2015

Developing the Next Generation of Physics Assessments

Science education at all levels is currently undergoing dramatic changes to its curricula and developing assessments for these new curricula is paramount. We have used the basis of many of these new changes (scientific practices, crosscutting concepts, and core ideas) to develop sets of criteria that can be used to guide assessment development for this new curriculum. We present a case study that uses the criteria we have developed to revise a traditional physics assessment item into an assessment item that is much more aligned with the goals of current transformation efforts. Assessment items developed using this criteria can be used to assess student learning of both the concepts and process of science.

physics.ed-ph↗

arXiv2015

Student thinking about the divergence and curl in mathematics and physics contexts

Undergraduate physics students are known to have difficulties with understanding mathematical tools, and with applying their knowledge of mathematics to physical contexts. Using survey statements based on student interviews and written responses to open-ended questions, we investigated the prevalence of correct and incorrect conceptions regarding the divergence and curl of vector fields, among both mathematics and physics students. We compare and contrast pre-instruction responses from intermediate-level E&M students at KU Leuven and the University of St Andrews, with post-instruction responses from St Andrews students enrolled in a vector calculus course. The differences between these student populations were primarily in areas having to do with physics-related concepts and graphical representations of vector fields. Our comparison of pre- and post-instruction responses from E&M students shows that their understanding of the divergence and curl improved significantly in most areas, though not as much as would be desired.

physics.ed-ph↗

arXiv2016

Paired teaching for faculty professional development in teaching

Paired (or co-)teaching is an arrangement in which two faculty are collaboratively responsible for all aspects of teaching a course. By pairing an instructor experienced in research-based instructional strategies (RBIS) with an instructor with little or no experience in RBIS, paired teaching can be used to promote the adoption of RBIS. Using data from post-course interviews with the novice instructors of four such arrangements, we seek to describe factors that make for effective professional development in teaching via paired teaching. We suggest that the novice instructor's approach to the paired teaching and their previous teaching experience are two aspects which mediate their learning about teaching. Additionally, the structure of the pair-taught course and the sequence of teaching assignments for the novice both likely play roles in lowering the barrier to novice instructors adopting RBIS. We discuss these results within the framework of cognitive apprenticeship.

physics.ed-ph↗

arXiv2016

Unpacking Symbolic Equations in Introductory Physics

Symbolic equations are one of the many representations used in physics. Understanding these representations is important for students because they are how students access knowledge in physics. In this paper I build off of the work by Redish and Kuo, which described the cultural differences between how math is used in math class and physics class, and the work by Fredlund et al, which described the importance of unpacking representations for physics student. I will describe how differences in the goals of numeric and symbolic problem solving lead to different set of affordances. In particular, the inability to distinguish variables, knowns, and unknowns in symbolic problem solving is a benefit when describing a generalized physical system. I also present evidence that observed errors when trying to solve symbolic problems are due to students acting on inappropriate cues associated with numeric problem solving.

physics.ed-ph↗

arXiv2018

From the Lorentz Group to the Celestial Sphere

In these lecture notes we review the isomorphism between the (connected) Lorentz group and the set of conformal transformations of the sphere. More precisely, after establishing the main properties of the Lorentz group, we show that it is isomorphic to the group SL(2,C) of complex 2 by 2 matrices with unit determinant. We then classify conformal transformations of the sphere, define the notion of null infinity in Minkowski space-time, and show that the action of Lorentz transformations on the celestial spheres at null infinity is precisely that of conformal transformations. In particular, we discuss the optical phenomena observed by the pilots of the "Millenium Falcon" during the jump to lightspeed.

math-ph↗

arXiv2016

A Nano-visualization software for education and research

We report the development of a user-friendly nano-visualization software program which can acquaint high-school students with nanotechnology. The visual introduction to atoms and molecules, which are the building blocks of this technology, is an effective way to introduce the key concepts in this area. The software's graphical user interface enables multidimensional atomic visualization by using ball and stick schematics. Additionally, the software provides the option of wavefunction visualization for arbitrary nanomaterials and nanostructures by using extended Huckel theory. The software is instructive, application oriented and may be useful not only in high school education but also for the undergraduate research and teaching.

physics.ed-ph↗

arXiv2015

High energy astroparticle physics for high school students

The questions about the origin and type of cosmic particles are not only fascinating for scientists in astrophysics, but also for young enthusiastic high school students. To familiarize them with research in astroparticle physics, the Pierre Auger Collaboration agreed to make 1% of its data publicly available. The Pierre Auger Observatory investigates cosmic rays at the highest energies and consists of more than 1600 water Cherenkov detectors, located near Malargüe, Argentina. With publicly available data from the experiment, students can perform their own hands-on analysis. In the framework of a so-called Astroparticle Masterclass organized alongside the context of the German outreach network Netzwerk Teilchenwelt, students get a valuable insight into cosmic ray physics and scientific research concepts. We present the project and experiences with students.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2015

Kinematical Analysis of an Articulated Mechanism

The purpose of this work is twofold: to present mathematical expressions for the kinematics of an articulated mechanism and to perform numerical experiments with the implemented code. The system of rigid parts is made of two slender bars and a disk. In the original configuration, a constant counterclockwise rotation rate is imposed on the disk. In the modified version, this angular velocity varies linearly with the rotation angle to produce an average rate that is nearly the same as the constant case. Angles, velocities and accelerations are analyzed for a 90-degree turn of the disk. The numerical solutions show the inversion of the linking bar sense of rotation along with the start of deceleration for both bars. The paper and pencil solution of the original problem that may lead to a wrong conclusion is explained. Equations are derived from first principles and the code is placed under version control. Those in charge of vector dynamics courses may find it useful as a project-based learning activity.

physics.ed-ph↗

arXiv2015

An Investigation into the Correlations between Students' Written Responses to Lecture-Tutorial Questions and their Understandings of Key Astrophysics Concepts

This paper reports on an investigation into the correlations between students' understandings of introductory astronomy concepts and the correctness and coherency of their written responses to targeted Lecture-Tutorial questions. We assessed the correctness and coherency of responses from 454 college-level, general education, introductory astronomy students enrolled in courses taught in the spring of 2010, 2011, and 2012. We hypothesized that students who consistently provided responses with high levels of correctness and coherency would outperform students who did not on multiple measures of astronomy content knowledge. We compared students' correctness and coherency scores to their normalized gains on the Light and Spectroscopy Concept Inventory (LSCI) and to their scores on closely-related exam items. Our analysis revealed that no significant correlations exist between students' correctness and coherency scores and their LSCI gain scores or exam item scores. However, the participant group in our study did achieve high scores on the LSCI and on closely-related exam items. We hypothesized that these differences are due to the discussions that take place between students which suggests that instructors who teach with active engagement instructional strategies should focus their implementation on ensuring that their students fully engage in the richest possible discourse.

physics.ed-ph↗

arXiv2015

Student difficulties with the probability distribution for measuring energy and position in quantum mechanics

We have been investigating the difficulties that students in upper-level undergraduate courses have in determining the probability distribution for measuring energy and position as a function of time when the initial wave function is explicitly given. We administered written free-response and multiple-choice questions to investigate these difficulties. We find that students have common difficulties with these concepts. We discuss some of the findings.

physics.ed-ph↗

arXiv2015

Numerical wind tunnels

Flow of viscous fluids are not usually discussed in detail in general and basic courses of physics. This is due in part to the fact that the Navier-Stokes equation has analytical solution only for a few restricted cases, while more sophisticated problems can only be solved by numerical methods. In this text, we present a computer simulation of wind tunnel, i.e., we present a set of programs to solve the Navier-Stokes equation for an arbitrary object inserted in a wind tunnel. The tunnel enables us to visualize the formation of vortices behind object, the so-called von Kármán vortices, and calculate the drag force on the object. We believe that this numerical wind tunnel can support the teacher and allow a more elaborate discussion of viscous flow. The potential of the tunnel is exemplified by the study of the drag on a simplified model of wing whose angle of attack can be controlled. A link to download the programs that make up the tunnel appears at the end.

physics.ed-ph↗

arXiv2015

Astronomía al Aire: Media Convergence in Astronomy & Astrophysics

We describe the experience of running an Astrophysics outreach initiative involving traditional mass media like radio broadcast and new digital media like blog, microblogging and internet video channel. Some very successful preliminary results are also presented. This unique experience is helping to create new science informal education environments for Spanish speaking people in Latin America.

physics.ed-ph↗

arXiv2018

Theory of Special Relativity

Special Relativity is taught to physics sophomores at Johns Hopkins University in a series of eight lectures. Lecture 1 covers the principle of relativity and the derivation of the Lorentz transform. Lecture 2 covers length contraction and time dilation. Lecture 3 covers Minkowski diagrams, simultaneous events and causally connected events, as well as velocity transforms. Lecture 4 covers energy and momentum of particles and introduces 4-vectors. Lecture 5 covers energy and momentum of photons and collision problems. Lecture 6 covers Doppler effect and aberration. Lecture 7 covers relativistic dynamics. Optional Lecture 8 covers field transforms. The main purpose of these notes is to introduce 4-vectors and the matrix notation and to demonstrate their use in solving standard problems in Special Relativity. The pre-requisites for the class are calculus-based Classical Mechanics and Electricity & Magnetism, and Linear Algebra is highly recommended.

physics.ed-ph↗

arXiv2021

Simple physics behind the flight of a drone

The flight of a quadcopter drone, readily available as a toy, is analyzed using simple physics concepts. A smartphone with built-in accelerometer and gyroscope was attached to the drone to register the accelerations and angular velocities along the three spatial axis while the drone is taking off, landing or rotating. The vertical speed, the height and one of the angular coordinates are obtained through numerical integration of the acceleration values and compared with information provided by the manufacturer. The analysis of these quantities provides an opportunity to gain insight into important physics concepts involving Newton laws and conservation principles in a stimulating environment.

physics.ed-ph↗

arXiv2016

Creating Electronic Books-Chapters for Computers and Tablets Using Easy Java/JavaScript Simulations, EjsS Modeling Tool

This paper shares my journey (tools used, design principles derived and modeling pedagogy implemented) when creating electronic books-chapters (epub3 format) for computers and tablets using Easy Java/JavaScript Simulations, (old name EJS, new EjsS) Modeling Tool. The theory underpinning this work grounded on learning by doing through dynamic and interactive simulation-models that can be more easily made sense of instead of the static nature of printed materials. I started combining related computer models with supporting texts and illustrations into a coherent chapter, a logical next step towards tighter support for teachers and students ,developing prototypes electronic chapters on the topics of Simple Harmonic Motion and Gravity customized for the Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education Advanced Level (A-level). I aim to inspire more educators to create interactive and open educational resources for the benefit of all. Prototypes: http://iwant2study.org/ospsg/index.php/interactive-resources/physics/02-newtonian-mechanics/08-gravity/154-e-book-shm http://iwant2study.org/ospsg/index.php/interactive-resources/physics/02-newtonian-mechanics/09-oscillations/153-e-book-gravity and Apple iBook Store, Google Play Book and Kindle Book

physics.ed-ph↗

arXiv2017

Cluster Analysis of Educational Data: an Example of Quantitative Study on the answers to an Open-Ended Questionnaire

In the last years many studies examined the consistency of students' answers in a variety of contexts. Some of these papers tried to develop more detailed models of the consistency of students' reasoning, or to subdivide a sample of students into intellectually similar subgroups. The problem of taking a set of data and separating it into subgroups where the elements of each subgroup are more similar to each other than they are to elements not in the subgroup has been extensively studied through the methods of Cluster Analysis. This method can separate students into groups that can be recognized and characterized by common traits in their answers, without any prior knowledge of what form those groups would take (unbiased classification). In this paper we start from a detailed analysis of the data coding needed in Cluster Analysis, in order to discuss the meaning and the limits of the interpretation of quantitative results. Then two methods commonly used in Cluster Analysis are described and the variables and parameters involved are outlined and criticized. Section III deals with the application of these methods to the analysis of data from an open-ended questionnaire administered to a sample of university students, and the quantitative results are discussed. Finally, the quantitative results are related to student answers and compared with previous results reported in the literature, by pointing out the new insights resulting from the application of such new methods.

physics.ed-ph↗