PERC 2010 Abstract Detail Page
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| Abstract Title: | Our best juniors still struggle with Gauss's Law: Characterizing their difficulties |
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| Abstract: | We discuss student conceptual difficulties with Gauss's law observed in an upper-division Electricity and Magnetism course. Difficulties at this level have been described in previous work; we present further quantitative and qualitative evidence that upper-division students still struggle with Gauss's law. This evidence is drawn from analysis of upper-division E&M conceptual post-tests, traditional exams, and formal student interviews. Examples of student difficulties include difficulty with the inverse nature of the problem, difficulty articulating complete symmetry arguments, problems visualizing the electric field, and trouble recognizing that in situations without sufficient symmetry it is impossible (rather than "difficult") to calculate the electric field using Gauss's law. One possible explanation for some of these conceptual difficulties is that students at the upper level may struggle to connect mathematical expressions to physical meanings. |
| Abstract Type: | Contributed Poster |
Contributed Poster | |
| Contributed Poster: | Download the Contributed Poster |
Author/Organizer Information | |
| Primary Contact: |
Rachel E. Pepper University of Colorado UCB Box 390 Boulder, CO 80309 Phone: 303-492-6956 |
| Co-Author(s) and Co-Presenter(s) |
Stephanie V. Chasteen Steven Pollock Katherine Perkins All affiliated with the University of Colorado. |
