written by Marlene Vega, Warren M. Christensen, Brian Farlow, Gina Passante, and Michael E. Loverude

In upper division physics courses students are required to work with various coordinate systems. This skill becomes particularly important when learning Electricity and Magnetism, where the most appropriate coordinate system will often depend on the geometry and symmetry of a problem. This study aims to identify and describe "resources" used by students when answering physics questions regarding unit vectors in non-Cartesian coordinate systems, specifically polar coordinates. Data were collected in the form of written responses and interviews in upper division physics courses at two universities. After deeper analysis we identified several resources that students use in ways that can be productive and unproductive.

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Last Modified December 1, 2016

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