PERC 2010 Abstract Detail Page
Previous Page | New Search | Browse All
| Abstract Title: | Fluctuations in Students' Understanding of Newton's 3rd Law |
|---|---|
| Abstract: | We use a between-student testing methodology to assess student understanding of Newton's 3rd Law concepts on a weekly time scale. Students were tested both in Mechanics, the quarter in which the material was introduced, and in Electricity & Magnetism. A significant increase in the number of students correctly answering conceptual questions is seen around the time of instruction, but it disappears by the end of the quarter. More interestingly, a decrease in the number of correct responses is seen in the subsequent quarter precisely when instruction centers around the scalar topics of electric potential and voltage. Once instruction returns to vector-based topics (Gauss' Law, magnetic fields, etc...), response scores relax back to their initial values |
| Abstract Type: | Contributed Poster |
Author/Organizer Information | |
| Primary Contact: |
Scott Franklin Rochester Institute of Technology Department of Physics 84 Lomb Memorial Drive Rochester, NY 14623-5603 Phone: 585-475-2536 |
| Co-Author(s) and Co-Presenter(s) |
Jessica W. Clark Rochester Institute of Technology Eleanor C. Sayre Wabash College |
