PERC 2008 Abstract Detail Page
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| Abstract Title: | Student Understanding of P-V Diagrams and Conceptions about Integration |
|---|---|
| Abstract: | As part of ongoing research into upper-level undergraduate student understanding of thermodynamics at the University of Maine, we report on students' understanding of thermodynamic work, internal energy and the associated mathematics. New interview data of physics majors, as well as written data obtained in a calculus III class, support our previous findings and provide for a more in-depth look into factors impacting student difficulties with thermodynamic quantities. Analysis of written and interview data has revealed student conceptions about integration that might otherwise be interpreted as conceptual difficulties with the physics. The data suggest that students' application of the state function concept to thermodynamic work may be due in part to incorrect conceptions regarding integration. The data also suggest that students lack the correct mathematical foundation of the state function concept, which may be a factor in its indiscriminate application. |
| Abstract Type: | Contributed Poster |
Author/Organizer Information | |
| Primary Contact: |
Evan B. Pollock University of Maine 5709 Bennett Hall Orono, ME 04469 Phone: 207-581-1022 |
| Co-Author(s) and Co-Presenter(s) |
Brandon R. Bucy University of Maine; John R. Thompson University of Maine; Donald B. Mountcastle University of Maine |
